The Message
by csinyfan28
Summary: As Mac and Don go undercover; Mac makes Jo a promise; to come home in two weeks. But when Mac risks his life to save another, he loses a part of him that took years to build. Fragments of his lost possession return back to him when he receives… the message.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey everyone! I would like to thank you for the lovely reviews and personal messages that you left me from my previous story! With your encouragement, I decided to write another. I had a bit of trouble how to lay out this story, but… I decided not to worry about it and just flow with what comes to mind. **_

_**The main principle of this story was lightly inspired by two books I read, but I'm not going to give the titles away as many of you are probably familiar with these two books or heard of them. So, if I give the titles of the books away, it might spoil it! **_

_**The main focus of my stories as stated in my profile, was to create catharsis, so I want to make you cry! Well, this story is going to be sad, dramatic and action filled based on a foundation of romance! **_

_**This first chapter starts off a little slow (and a bit boring lol) but ends with some action! But, once again, thanks so much for all your support and reviews are always appreciated! Please enjoy! **_

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI NY, or else the character of Christine Whitney would have never been written._

* * *

**The Message**

Chapter One:

After a night of making love and moving earth, they held each other through the night until the hand struck 7:00am and the ringing of a tiny device broke the silence in the air.

She slowly moved her hand over to the distracting sound, slammed the snooze button and rolled over to her other side. The cool autumn air filled their bedroom as the curtains danced with the rhythm of the wind. The friendly breeze tickled his face its coolness awakened his senses. He heard the alarm go off again and saw her reach over to hit the snooze button but failed as the device fell to the ground.

He heard her let out a lazy groan and couldn't help but let a smile caress his face.

"Jo, wake up." He whispered as he leaned over and kissed the crook of her neck.

"No…." She mumbled and pulled the sheets up to cover her entire face.

"Well why not?" He chuckled.

"I don't want you to leave yet." She grumbled under the sheets.

"Haven't you had enough of me last night?" He giggled again as he took the sheets and slowly pulled them down to reveal her fresh morning face.

"I'll never get enough of you." She smiled and propped herself up on her elbows and gave him a lingering kiss.

He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and pulled her on top of him as their kiss continued.

"If we continue like this, we won't make it to work" He teased.

"I don't want you to work." She protested and rested her head on his chest.

He looked down and stroked her silky hair with the tips of his fingers. "I'm only going to be gone for about two weeks and if the perps are willing to cooperate, we will be back from Providence in a week."

She groaned and punched him lightly on the side of his body.

"And when I come back, we will have our wedding to look forward to." He smiled and went to go pick up her hand that housed a beautiful diamond ring in which will soon confirm her as his wife.

She maneuvered her body and rested her full body weight on her hands to look him directly in the eyes. Her silky hair fell from behind her eyes and tickled his nose. She smiled when she saw his nose twitch under her.

"Promise me you'll be safe. I wish I could come with you. I hate when you do undercover work." She protested.

"I hate it too." He whispered as he tucked her hair behind her ears.

"What's your fake name again?" She asked.

"Well, mine's Jack Tyson and Flack's Oscar Wittler. We're going to take down McGraw together."

"I'm going to miss you a lot, Jack Tyson" She smirked

"I'm going to miss you too, interim boss"

"Ugh, don't call me that."

There was a second of silence that stretched between them as she looked into his eyes.

"Don better keep you safe, I'll kick his ass if anything ever happened to you" She said as she rolled off of him and kicked her feet over the edge of the bed.

He watched her make her way to the bathroom in nothing but his old t-shirt. _I'm a very lucky man._

He made his way out of bed, reopened his already packed duffel bag and rechecked if he had everything he needed. Once he was sure, he zipped it up and placed a lock firmly between the two holes of the conjoined zippers. He walked into the bathroom to shave and saw her painting her eyes. He laughed when she accidently poked herself with the mascara wand. He continued to laugh when he saw her blink rapidly and tear up.

"I don't even know why you put on makeup, I think you look beautiful." He commented

"You always say I look beautiful, you fool."

"I call you beautiful, and you call me a fool. What a fair trade."

She didn't reply. Instead, wiped away where the mascara stained her face and repainted the flawed eye.

* * *

They met in the kitchen and he handed her a coffee made in the image of her likeliness.

"Thank you. I'm going to miss you making coffee for me every morning." She frowned.

"You're only going to miss my coffee?" He grinned.

"Yup, that about sums it up." She teased. _Of course not, you idiot_.

"Well, for the next two weeks, I'm known as Jack Tyson…" He said as he held up his mock ID. He laughed to himself at how ridiculous he looked in the black and white picture.

"Nice picture there. You look miserable!" She giggled as she took the card in her hands.

"Hey give that back, I think I look sexy as ever."

"Stay away from the ladies Mac, or this lady will be very upset when you come back."

"Don't you worry." He said while giving her a peck on the lips.

He picked up the bag and tossed it into the apartment hallway. Jo locked the door and they stepped into the elevator together. Outside, Don was waiting for him in a beat-up pick up truck and nodded as a gesture of greeting when he saw the couple.

"Good morning, 'Jack' and good morning boss" he joked as he grabbed Mac's suitcase and threw it in the back seat.

"I'm not the boss…" Jo said and rolled her eyes as she shook her head.

"Well, we better get going." Don insisted and added, "I promise I'll look after Mac" as he smirked. He then turned around on his heel and went inside the truck. He shut the door and rolled up the windows to give the couple some privacy.

She let out a long breath and frowned, "Promise me you'll be safe," and she hung her head low, looking at the ground.

"Hey, look at me…" He said as he lifted her chin up with the tip of his index finger. "Remember our first date? You made me stick out my thumb and stick out my arm in front like an idiot! Just remember what you told me and I'll be with you no matter where I am." He paused.

She looked at him and chuckled.

"I'll be back in two weeks."

She looked at him. _Tear don't you fall_.

"I love you, and I can't wait for you to be my wife." Mac whispered while giving her a warm embrace.

He too hopped in the passenger seat of the truck and Don ignited the engine as it roared in the streets of New York. _Be safe you two._

She saw them drive away off into the distance and stuck out her hands to give them her last gesture of goodbye. She made her way to the parking garage and let herself into her car. She felt a little faint but shook her head a couple times and the feeling receded. _That was strange_.

She turned the ignition and fastened her seat belt. She put her vehicle in reverse and drove off to the crime lab.

* * *

They arrived in Providence and pulled up to an abandoned little house that they would have to live in for the next two weeks. They unloaded the truck and stood outside for a bit, studying the decaying structure.

"Wow, it's a pretty beaten up place, isn't it?" Don said. _And it smells like crap_.

"Oh yeah, but it's the only place we can stop McGraw's dirty business. We have to save those girls." Mac sincerely replied.

They walked up the stairs and the mesh door opened with a creaky sound, threatening to break in mere seconds. They walked it, stood and examined the place. Don crinkled his nose to the pungent smell of leaves, unwashed animals and lake water. _Yuck_.

"Who the hell suggested this place?" He questioned.

"Sinclair." Mac simply replied while placing his bag on the table in front of him and added,

"I'm going to put our bags in the bedroom, you check this place out". He walked into the short hallway and made a quick left turn. _I don't want to be here either; I have someone waiting for me at home._

Don walked over to the window. It was old, dirty and beaten up but still intact. He took his hand and wiped away the dust that collected on the glass pane over the years and then he leaned forward to look outside. He noticed the quite river than ran outside the house and its waters that gently brushed up against the rocks. He also noticed the quite rhythms of the trees as they swayed against the wind and the utter silence of the place but heard the quite chirping of the birds.

They decided to hold off the case until early morning as they saw the night slowly consuming earth's shining lamp. They made Kraft Dinner that night and made friendly conversation over their meal.

* * *

The next morning, they were awakened by the rays of sun that beamed into the windows of the bedroom. Mac let out a tired stretch and noticed that Don was snoring beside him. _You snore like a jack hammer. _He reached over and gave him a hard punch to the arm. Don shot straight up, startled with ruffled hair.

"Holy…. What was that for?"

"For not letting me sleep. You snore louder than a jet engine!"

"I do not"

"Wanna bet?"

Don didn't reply but let out a loud yawn instead while rubbing his eyes in attempt to focus his vision.

Mac shook his head. "Okay, we have to find a way to get one of McGraw's girls"

"Yeah, pose as a customer, right?"

He nodded, "This should be an easy case. We just have to reel one of the girls back to this place. We will have to get her to talk, and maybe she will be able to spit out where he's keeping the rest of them."

"He threatens to kill them if they talk to his customers."

"I think they will be willing to talk to us if we tell them we are here to help them."

"Okay, you ready?" Don asked.

"Yeah"

* * *

They drove into the city and pulled up to an old abandoned building.

"Wait, why didn't we just bring the whole team and we could arrest these idiots in charge of this nest here?" Don asked.

"Because this is only one of his many places where he keeps these girls. If we arrest them now, he would take all of the other girls in his different locations and flee, making it even harder for us. He keeps his nests all close together, so if one of these girls can tell us where McGraw is, we can shut down his entire network."

"Fair enough…. So we're going for the boss to bring it all down as a whole…"

"Right. Let's go in, what's your name again?" Mac tested.

"Oscar Wittler, I own a corner store. I'm coming to Providence for a road trip with my buddy Jack Tyson who owns a restaurant down the street in Bronx, New York."

"Good, got your ID?"

"Mac, I'm not two years old, I don't forget stuff like that…"

"Just checking." He replied as he stepped out of the car.

They walked towards the building and knocked on the door. The decaying door was opened by a man in a black leather jacket, smoking something that was most definitely not a cigarette.

"What do you want?" His raspy voice asked.

_Crap, what's the entry code again? _"The menu" Mac replied.

"Downstairs, to the right. Room 466"

They walked down the stairs in front of them and the smell of drugs was unbearable. They turned to their right and saw the hanging light that was flicking on and off. They saw the series of rooms, 463, 464, 465…. 466.

"I'm guessing this used to be a hotel" Don whispered and Mac replied with a simple nod.

They saw the room and knocked. The door swung open and another man with black hair was standing in front of them.

"ID." He black haired man simply stated.

They took out their IDs and handed it over to the man who ripped it out of their hands.

"Jack Tyson and Oscar Wittler. What do you fellas do that brings you down here?" He questioned, eying at Mac.

Mac noticed the girls behind the man that were huddled in the corner in clothes that did not cover enough skin. _Holy crap, how many does McGraw have?_

"HEY! I'm asking you a question!" He roared with eyes of noticeable reddish veins.

"I own a restaurant down the street from my buddy here who runs a corner store in the Bronx." Mac replied.

The man looked at him with an icy glare, "Get in."

They both walked in, Don behind Mac and looked at each other in awe at the sight in front of them. Twenty girls with the youngest being around eight years old and the oldest around eighteen.

"Stand up!" The man roared at them and another man with gray hair came out of bathroom, "Line up! We have customers!"

The girls quickly got up and lined up in order, presumably by age, descending left to right. Their hair was tattered, their heads hung low, not daring to look at them. They were forced to wear impeccably high heels and fish nets tights. They wore red lipstick and garments that covered their upper and lower areas.

"Chose one, any one! How about this, one?" The man chucked as he grabbed a girl by the arm, about twelve years old, Asian decent.

Mac shook his head, and Don did too – following Mac's motion. The man shoved the girl back in line and the handprints on her tiny arm quickly emerged.

Don and Mac pretended to look interested in what was displayed in front of them. Don fisted his hand and slammed it into his coat pocket to hide his fury. _You sick bastard, McGraw_.

Mac looked up and down the line, trying to hide his own fury. _We're going to help you all, I promise. Give us some time_. He looked again, _I need an English speaking one_. He noticed a girl who was about sixteen years old, blonde hair, blue/green eyes, skinny – too skinny, with her held low. She was wearing green garments and red high heels.

"I want that one" Mac pointed to her, "What's your name?"

The girl stepped forward, shaking she said, "Christina, from Scotland."

Don nodded. _Thank god she speaks English, she can help us_.

The man threw the tiny girl at him and looked in Don's direction, "Which one do you want?" he snarled.

"We're going to share her." Don faked a smirk that disguised his disgust.

"Oh you like it like that, don't you?" The man with gray hair chuckled.

The man with black hair added, "This is Jack and Oscar, they're going to have fun with you."

* * *

They left the building with the girl and she sat in the back seat of the truck with Mac. The ride was quiet and silent. Christina shivered in the autumn air and Mac took off his jacket and wanted to wrap it around her. She looked at him and shook her head as she inched away from him. She saw the beaten up house that Don pulled up to and she trembled. Mac noticed her fear and let out a sigh. She got out of the truck and looked around, scared for her life.

She stepped into the house and noticed the computers, wires and papers that were all scattered everywhere. _They're going to film me_?

"You're going to film me?" The girl murmured.

"Christina, my name is not Jack, it's Mac and he's not Oscar, he's Don. You're going to stay with us, we're here to help you, and we're detectives. Were you kidnapped by men who brought you into a place filled with young girls like you?"

She paused for a bit. _I can't tell you! Not just young girls, my mom too…. _

"Christina, it's okay, we're not here to hurt you." Don added.

She looked at him with sincere eyes until she finally nodded.

"Did you ever get to see a man who looked like this?" Mac asked as he slid a picture across the table of a man with grey toned hair, dark tanned skin, and dark hellish eyes.

She shivered at the sight of the man but she managed to communicate to Mac with a nod.

"Do you know what does and who this man is?" Don added with a disgusted expression.

"Boss, takes girls…. From…. Their families…. Threatens them with guns and knives…. Beats them….. sells them to evil men." She stuttered with fear.

Mac pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He finally spoke out, "Yes, he is the boss. His name is Jonathon McGraw and he is in charge of the men who kidnapped you. He is an offender of sex trafficking and we're here to find his location."

She looked down at her hands while biting her lower lip.

"Can you tell us where he is?"

"Promise me that you will help those girls."

"I promise, I will help each and everyone of them".

"I over heard the man with the gray hair talking to the one with black hair one night…. They said…"

"What did they say?"

"They said somewhere with a beach… and they talked about the shore…. Something about setting another location close to the boss…."

"Did you hear any sort of name? Like a place?"

"Something with 'Cod'"

Mac and Don thought for a moment and then looked at each other.

"Cape Cod? Does that sound familiar Christina?"

She nodded.

She sat there and after a long pause she added, "He's going to kill me. I shouldn't have told you anything"

Mac looked at her with a furrowed eyebrow expression. She saw that she was shivering in the tiny clothes on her body, revealing too much of her skin. "Stay here with Don, I'll go grab you some clothes." He said as he turned around and headed for his room.

Don looked at the shivering girl and added, "I'll get you something hot to drink." He turned around on his heel and headed towards the kitchen counter that house a small little stove. He poured some hot water that he made earlier in the kettle into a small glass that already had some instant coffee inside. _I guess coffee will do._ He was about to lean to his left to grab a clean spoon until he heard the slamming of the front door. _Crap_!

He dropped the coffee and shouted for Mac who already stepped into the room with a shirt.

"She got out!" Don shouted.

Mac pushed Don out of the way and ran in front of him. He ran outside and looked over his right shoulder. _No sight of her_. Then he looked over his left. _Run_!

"Mac! Wait!" Don shouted in front of him.

Mac ran towards the girl who was quite a distance in front of him, running along the river. He heard the crack of the thunder and the rain became more furious as its pellets of water trembled down his face.

"Christina! Stop! We're here to help you!"

He ran faster and was getting close to her. Fear boiled in his veins as he noticed her crossing the small river over the massive rocks that resembled somewhat of a bridge. _You're going to fall_!

The tiny girl carefully jumped from one rock to another as the rain poured over her body. She looked back over her shoulder and noticed that Mac was following her, but stood still on the first rock, holding out his hand as he made his way to the second rock.

"Come, take my hand! You're going to fall!" He shouted across to her.

"He's going to kill my mother if I ever told you anything." She shouted back.

"We're going to help her too! I promise!"_ He's got her mother too? _

The girl trembled in the storm but she began to trust him. She turned around and slowly walked back towards him, slowly reaching out her tiny arm for his. She took placed one foot in front of the other but her bare feet provided no tread as she felt the slippery rocks beneath her.

"Its slippery!"

"It's okay, you can do it!" Mac encouraged.

Another bolt of lighting cracked through the sky, and its aftershock roared in the air. Christina became nervous and scared as she ran towards him. She lost her footing and before she knew it, she fell in the water. Her hands frantically clawed upwards, desperately trying to find a way to keep her head above the water. "Help!" She managed to cry out

Without thinking, Mac jumped into the heavy flowing river and swam his way towards the girl who was being carried away by the waters' rapid movement.

His arms flung in front of him, one by one, clawing at the water as frantically kicked his feet. He felt a sense of relief as he was currently swimming a tad faster than the current but the girl flowed quickly in front of him. _A few more strokes_!

He swam with adrenaline for the last few meters and finally caught up to her. He threw his arms around her and backstroked back to shore, which was intensely difficult for him as the current was becoming stronger. He saw that he was close to the shoreline but could not manage to pull himself words so he used all his force in his body and threw her in the grass. _Mac, swim up to shore_!

The rain was beating down on the water and the wind picked up its pace, the river flowed faster – threatening to pull him under. He continued to swim perpendicular to the current towards the shore but the current wouldn't let him as the water pushed him further and further away from the house. _Mac, why can't you do it_?

Don continued to run along the riverside in attempt to catch up to Christina and Mac. He halted to a stop when he noticed the girl lying on the grass coughing hectically and kneeled down beside her. He quickly picked up the young girl in his arm and blinked away the rain that was dripping down on his face.

"Where's the man who saved you?" He asked firmly while gripping on to the girl's shoulders.

"I don't know… All I felt was him throwing me on to the shoreline. I saw…." The girl managed to say while coughing up the remaining bits of water left in his lungs.

"What did you see?" Don asked quickly, cutting her off.

"I saw him being constantly pulled down by the water and he kept flowing away." She continued to cough.

He looked down the river in the direction of the water flow in attempt to look for Mac. _He couldn't have flowed that far. _

He ran with the child in his arms down the river and shouted, "Mac! MAC!"

He noticed another roar of the thunder and crack of lightening that ignited the sky.

The roaring of the wind was unbearable and he could barely see anything in front of him. But, he was determined to locate his friend.

"MAC! Mac where are you!" He shouted with all the air his lungs provided him. _I promised Jo…._

Another crack of lightening blazed through the clouds and a louder cry of thunder filled the air. _Mac, where the hell are you?_

* * *

_**So! Where's Mac? Please review and tell me where you think he is! In the next few chapters, you will find out! **_

_**The crime of human trafficking/sex trafficking popped into my head after I watched the movie, "Human Trafficking". This movie was so gruesome and horrific that I cried in class (we watched this movie in class as a part of a study project). I had nightmares that entire week and absolutely couldn't sleep! **_

_**There will be action in the next few chapters! I'm debating between writing this story with a happy or a sad ending… **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hey everyone! I am so grateful for all your reviews and your kind words, they mean a lot to me! Thanks for all your support! I apologize for updating very slowly! I've been hectically preparing for a summer school program and it's driving me nuts that I can't write! **_

_**So for this chapter, it's kinda boring but it's going to get things moving. I'm working on various parts of this story that will tug at your heart, making you want to cry because I think the best stories are when the text goes blurry from your tears or when your eyebrows crinkled together because you can't believe what just happened LOL! **_

_**I love writing these little excerpts where I can just chat with you guys before and after the chapter begins, I think it's so fun! :) **_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own CSI NY!**_

* * *

The Previous Chapter:

"_I saw him being constantly pulled down by the water and he kept flowing away." She continued to cough. _

_He looked down the river in the direction of the water flow in attempt to look for Mac. He couldn't have flowed that far. _

_He ran with the child in his arms down the river and shouted, "Mac! MAC!" _

_He noticed another roar of the thunder and crack of lightening that ignited the sky._

_The roaring of the wind was unbearable and he could barely see anything in front of him. But, he was determined to locate his friend. _

"_MAC! Mac where are you!" He shouted with all the air his lungs provided him. I promised Jo…. _

_Another crack of lightening blazed through the clouds and a louder cry of thunder filled the air. Mac, where the hell are you?_

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

He continued to run with the girl in his arms and wouldn't let go of her. He was afraid that she might want to run off again. He ran with all the power that his legs provided him, attempting to outrun the pace of the current. _Don, this is impossible… stop. _

The rain that pounded on his body along with the girl that he was holding epically labored his breathing and he couldn't do it anymore. _What the hell do I do now? _Firming his grasp on the girl, he ran back towards the little house. _It's farther than I thought_.

Once he finally got into the house, he placed the girl down on the ground and she trembled to her feet, shivering in the cold stormy air. He took off his wet jacket and warned the girl to stay there while he went into his room to grab a blanket. She saw him disappear into the dark hallway but reappear in a flash. He walked towards her and she shifted a little. He saw the fear and the guilt lingering in her eyes. "It's okay, Christina. We're going to find him." He placed the blanket around her shoulder and grabbed her something hot to drink.

He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. _Shit, it doesn't turn on! Water damage_…

"Does the phone even work?" Christina asked quietly and wrapped her hand around the warm mug. _Please say no, please._

"No…. too much water got into it." He furiously said as he threw it across the table. The girl looked at him for a moment, "Nothing gets signal out here in this goddamn dump anyways and this weather certainly doesn't help. Not even the strongest tracking devices will get picked up."

She continued to look at him while sipping on her drink, wondering what he was about to do next. She knew she was safe with him so she began to relax. _Nothing gets signal out here, you're safe Christina, you're safe. _

He attempted to connect his laptop and send a message to the crime lab but it was no use. _My god, I want a signal!_

"I need to make a phone call back to the crime lab, we need to go out to town right now." Don mumbled, not expecting her to hear anything. He made his way over the window, listening to the sound of cracking thunder and the tree branches drumming on the house's roof. He saw several trees lying on the ground as they were knocked down by the insane winds of Mother Nature. It was too crazy out there to go into town. _Crap! I need to contact Jo. _

"We're going into town tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Get some sleep." Don looked at the girl as he ran his hand through his wet hair.

* * *

The waters were strong and he frantically clawed his arms above the water in attempt to swim ashore. Even though he was physically fit and strong, no amount of body strength could beat the rapids, it was simply impossible but he kept trying. He felt his energy drain out of his body every time he reached up from the water. The current kept pushing him further and further away from the house as the waters slammed his body into large rocks and tree branches. He tried to keep his head above the water but his attempt was denied as the current hugged his body and pulled him downwards.

As the water carried him further away, he felt his head slam into large slabs of rock. The force was strong and it hurt like hell but was not strong enough to knock him unconscious. He felt dizzy and tired in the water as every drop of strength was ripped away from him and drifted away in the rapids. He saw the lighting strike again and he was sure that he would get struck and die.

Then he thought of her. Her soft, feminine voice ringed through his head. He imagined the waters that were flowing across his face were her gorgeous brown tresses of hair, gently grazing on his skin when they made love. He heard her voice chime with his sense, _Mac… I need you to hold on_.

With her words burned into his brain, adrenaline pumped through his veins as he tried to swim ashore. _One last time, Mac. You can do it._ Determination rushed through him and he reached his arm out of the water, one in front of the other; reaching for the shoreline. As the current pushed against his body, he was so close. _A little bit more!_ He failed to notice the large, massive tree branch that stuck out, just glazing the water. The current slammed his whole body into it and his breath was knocked right out of him, pulling him under the branch and on the other side of it.

He decided to give up, as he had no more strength to continue swimming. _I'm too tired_. His head was throbbing, his body was in pain, he had no energy… he had no hope. His limbs floated lethargically on the water as it carried him away, further and further away from Don and Christina. He was hell of a distance away from the little house and he had no idea where he was. His senses dared him to close his eyes as the waters bobbed his body up and down.

* * *

Back in Providence they could see the skies were still raining down with bullets of anger as the lightening cracked across mass collection of clouds. In a room with a simple light bulb to enable them to see, they sat in confusion, thinking about Christina.

"Where the hell is she?" the grey hair man by the name of Hector asked the man who sat across the room smoking a cigarette.

"I don't know, those sons of bitches. They paid for two hours not a whole goddamn day. Can you check her tracking device?" Lopez roared as he puffed out another cloud of smoke and ran his fingers through his black hair.

"Already did. I couldn't track her. They probably took her out to some goddamn dump. Besides, you couldn't track anything in this crap weather anyways." Hector mumbled while he frantically hammered his phone, trying to locate the girl.

"The boss is going to beat the life out of her when we come find her, you know? She probably told them guys something…" Lopez replied, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Did hear him on the phone? He's goddamn pissed, he almost burst my eardrums! He's probably going to kill us too cos' we can't track her!" Hector hollered. _God damn it, we're screwed._

"He's sending a bunch of guys in the Providence area, right?" Lopez questioned while lighting up another cigarette.

"Yeah… that's what I made out from his screaming on the other end." Hector said in a low, musky voice as he too lit up a cigarette he pulled out from his pocket.

"I sure hope our guys find her, and find her fast." Lopez coughed and stood up to circle the girls around huddled in the corner, doing an end of the night head count.

He didn't know long the wind pushed the waters as it carried his body along the shoreline to where it so desired. About ten percent of his senses were awake while the other ninety was basically dead. To his surprise, the waters calmed and the wind parted the clouds, revealing the early morning sun. The light partially blinded him as he squinted at the water's reflection.

The slight existence of wind pushed his body little by little up to the shore. He didn't move as his lack of strength paralyzed any of his attempted motions. He felt tiny little bumpy particles against his back and the nape of his neck as he felt the breeze brush up against his wet face. The waters gave him a gesture of goodbye as it pushed up against the side of his body and then back into the large body of water again.

He knew he finally reached land as he felt his body had stopped moving and he lay there perfectly still. He knew he was safe and he wanted to get up to find out where the hell he was but he was too tired. As the sun blazed against his wet skin and it began to chase away the chills that run up and down his body. He began to close his eyes as a sign that he finally gave into his tiredness. In just a mere minute, his eyes flickered open. _What the? _He noticed a white seagull that landed on him, pecking frantically at his stomach. He wiggled a bit and the annoying nuisance finally flew off, cawing at its disappointment of the lack of food that it found on Mac.

He continued to lay there with his eyes opened, looking around at the blue sky and the white fluffy clouds that where playing hide and seek with the sun. He scrunched his hands and grabbed a fistful of sand. _A beach?_ He slowly stood up and from the acceleration of the water and his low energy levels, he felt nauseous and dizzy. The clouds above and the earth below started to spin uncontrollably and his vision started to blur. He tried to shake it out of him until he felt a burst of pain explode in his head. _Holy crap, how the hell did I manage to survive? _

He cupped both sides of his head in attempt to stop the brain but it was no use, it was exploding like a nuclear bomb inside of him. _I must of banged it up pretty badly_. He tried to steady himself as the earth kept spinning below him. He lost his footing and before he knew it, his head slammed against the hard ground, hitting a large slab rock on hits journey of decline. He bought into death's faulty claim as his eyes closed and every ounce of consciousness slipped away form his reach.

* * *

Don woke up from a painful sleep as he slept on the little love seat in the bedroom while he let Christina sleep on the bed. Although sleeping, he was on alert as he monitored any sudden movements that might put her in any potential danger. He reached up into the air for a much needed morning stretch. The sun barely peaked through the bedroom window but he wanted to get into the city quickly incase there was traffic. He needed to contact Jo as quickly as he could.

He gave Christina a little shake and he was given a smack to the arm as a response. Startled by her sudden reaction he whispered, "Christina, it's okay, it's Don. We're going into the city today." She looked at him with tired by wide-awake eyes. _No, oh good God, no! Should I tell him?_

She swallowed the lump in her throat and put on her brave face. She sat her self up on the bed, pulling the sheets with her and cuddled into them. She found the courage to speak to him and she mumbled, "Sounds great." _It's okay, I'm safe with him. He said I was safe_.

He looked at her and noticed the fear that flickered in her eyes. He let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to protect you, Christina."

He packed up his bags and also neatly packed up Mac's belongings. With only a coffee and a piece of toast for himself and the same for Christina, he grabbed his coat and a sweater for her as they headed out the door. He threw the bags in the back seat and he hopped in the driver's seat as he ensured that Christina fastened her seatbelt in the passenger seat. She heard the engine roar and eyed him pulling the shift gear to reverse. _I need to make the call fast and head back here, incase Mac finds his way back_.

_God damn it , god damn traffic! _He slammed the wheel with his fist as he flicked his wrist to look at his watch. "We've been stuck in traffic for two hours!" He hollered, glaring out the windshield at the incredibly busy freeway. He honked his horn and slammed on his wheel once again. He stopped as soon as he saw how his frustrations had scared Christina.

He looked at the girl and sighed, "I'm sorry. I know my frustrations won't make anything better." He said apologetically. She didn't reply but instead gave him a forgiving shadow of a smile and turned her head to stare out the window.

After a long and very much-anticipated three hours, they finally got in the city. The first thing Don's eyes were looking for was a phone booth where he could make his call. He found one near a local bakery and made a curbside park near the booth. He made sure the child lock was on so she wouldn't escape and put herself in any danger.

"Christina, you stay here okay? I'm going to lock all the doors and roll up all the windows. I'm going to be right back." He said as he put a hand on her shoulder, making her nervous. Without replying, she nodded and gestured for him to go. _Please hurry…_

He got out other truck, inserted the key in the keyhole outside of the vehicle and turned it away from him to lock all the doors. He quickly jogged to the phone booth and put in his coins that he jingled with shaky hands. _Calm yourself, Don_. Once he heard the dial tone, he pressed the numbers that rang the Jo's office phone.

"Danville" Jo greeted.

"Hey Jo, listen…" Don blurted out and she could hear the fear in his voice. _How am I going to say this?_

She quickly added, "Hey Don! Is everything alright!" _Good God, please tell me everything is okay_. She hadn't even heard what Don had to say but she started to tremble. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to be calm as she listened to what he had to say.

"Okay Jo, please don't freak out but we're going to find him." Don said as he tried to stay calm. How can I tell her to stay calm when I'm shaking in my pants?

"Find WHO? Don is it Mac? Oh my God, is Mac okay?" She raised her voice in worry. _Please say yes, please say yes. _

"There was a hurricane last night. He went to save one of McGraw's girls who was running across the river on some slippery rocks. She fell in and he went to grab her. He swam after her and threw her on shore but…"

"Spit it out, Don! But what!" She roared as the first tear raced down her face leaving a trail of smeared mascara. _Please say Mac sprained his ankle or something, just a bruise… that's all_.

"He drifted off in the storm in the river. We don't know where he is! He's gone…." He shouted as he bounced his leg up and down while pinching the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe what had happened last night.

"Oh my God, why didn't you call me last night? How long? How long has he been gone?" Jo hollered through her tears. _What am I going to do? Where is he? He promised he'd be back, he promised!_

"My phone was screwed from water and we couldn't possibly go out in this weather!" Don answered as the guilt rose up in his throat. _This is all my fault. _

She cursed inwardly, "HOW LONG!" She screamed.

"About 12 hours ago… last night." Don stuttered.

"12 hours. 12 goddamn hours and just now I find out about this…." She whispered to him as she placed her hand down on her desk for support incase she would collapse or something.

"I'm so sorry Jo. Please send the team… we're going to find him." Don encouraged, knowing that anything he sad wouldn't make the situation better.

Without saying goodbye she dropped the phone on her desk.

* * *

She stuck her finger in her mouth and touched the metal piece that was saudered onto her last molar on her left side. She hated that device that they put in there and she desperately wanted to remove it. She regretted not telling Don sooner about it and hoped that he could get it out for her. _They can track me now, we're in town. They're going to find me, they're going to kill you, kill me, kill my mom. She thought as she eyed at Don_.

She saw him hang up the phone and she noticed that he was leaning on one arm on the telephone and his other hand was running through his hair. She saw a black car pull up beside the truck and saw Don's back facing her. _They're here! _She unbuckled her seat belt and frantically tried to pull the door open. _God, child lock!_

She banged with clenched fists on the windows, screaming out his name, "DON! DON!" She glanced behind her and he saw a man pulling out his decoder. As the numbers flashed on the device, the car doors unlocked.

Before she had another chance to scream, she saw heard the truck door open and was pulled back by her hair with a cloth over her face. She heard his evil laugh and his hot breath against her neck. _Get away from me! I'm not going back with you! _

She tried not to breathe in the substance. She remembered when she was brought here, the same substance smuggled her face. She couldn't help it, she needed to breathe. And with the few breaths that she took, she drifted into unconsciousness and she felt them throw her in the back seat of the car. The wheels screeched as it raced down the empty street.

Don turned around as he heard the screeching of car tires. He saw the door ajar on the other side but with no Christina in sight. He ran towards the truck. _Shit!_

"Christina! God, CHRISTINA!" He shouted.

* * *

The dial tone turned into an annoying buzzing sound, signaling that the phone was off the hook. She was soon annoyed by the buzzing sound and quickly grabbed the phone to slam it on back on its base. She felt a little light headed as she thought of the worst case "what if" scenarios. She slowly maneuvered herself down onto the chair, holding the edges of her desk to keep her balance.

Don's voice repeated in her head like a broken record; over and over again as those "what if" scenarios replayed in her head. _Mac's gone, what if he's gone forever. What if… what if he's dead_. She felt warm moisture caressing her eyes as the first tear raced down the curves of her face and landed on her post it note that read, "Call aunt and uncle about wedding". The ink pooled and smeared as more tears fell on the same note.

She stared at a painting Ellie did for her a year ago as the tears came trembling down her face. She didn't have the strength to wipe them away and she continued to stare at the same spot on the wall.

Lindsay was heading back to the office that she shared with Jo. She saw her staring off into the distance and concern poked at her heart. _What's going on? _She poked her head into the office and quietly said, "Jo". She bunched her eyebrows together as she looked at the brunette stare at some spot on the wall.

"Hey, Jo!" She repeated using a slightly louder tone of voice. No response.

She decided to place a hand on her shoulder. Jo jumped as she looked at her wide-eyed and opened mouthed. Sorrow laced through her as she saw her friend in front of her, trembling with tears and clearly in shock.

Lindsay rolled her chair from her desk that was adjacent to Jo's to sit beside her. She took Jo's hands in hers and let out along breath. She looked at her for a moment until she finally spoke, "Jo…. What's wrong? You can tell me." She said quietly.

"Mac… he's…." Jo stumbled. _I can't say it._

With the mention of his name, Lindsay's eyelid sprung opened and she gripped Jo's hand tightly. "What's wrong with Mac? Jo, tell me what's wrong with Mac!" She said in a harsh tone that made Jo look her in surprise.

"Sorry, Jo. Can you tell me what happened to Mac?" She asked again, lowering her voice. _Just spit it out, Jo!_

"Don called…." Jo stammered as she started to shake. _I can't do this._

"And…" Lindsay gripped Jo's hand tight as she felt her shake.

"He said that Mac went to save one of McGraw's girls…."

"Jo… come on."

"He went to save a girl named Christina in a freaking thunderstorm, almost like a hurricane…"

"Jo…"

"She was trying to escape and Mac went after her. She fell into the river and Mac went after her. He threw her ashore while…." By now Jo was trying to spit out the words in between breaths.

"Did he get picked up by the current and…"

"And now we don't know where he is…."

"Oh my God, Jo." Lindsay gasped with her eyebrows furrowed and she covered her mouth with her hands.

"We'll go down to Providence right now. We'll rally up team and uniforms. You stay here in New York, okay Jo?" Lindsay insisted.

"NO! Are you out of your mind? I'm coming with you! I need to find him with you!" Jo protested in anger and let go of Lindsay's hand to stand straight up, hovering over Lindsay's small figure. _Are you nuts? You go find my fiancé while I sit around here in New York?_

"No, Jo…. we will report everything back to you here in the lab. You need to be able to organize all the information here and do all the necessary analysis that we can't. And, you need to be here with Ellie. What are you going to do? Leave her alone in New York?" Lindsay encouraged while looking up at Jo. She was frightened by Jo's sudden outburst and was surprised that Jo had a temper.

She looked at Lindsay for a moment and shook her head. She was clearly in denial that Mac was missing and didn't want to stay in the crime lab. Whenever someone would mention her kids, her weak spot was hit. _She does have a point. No one can watch Ellie while I'm gone… _

"I trust you Lindsay. I trust in you and the rest of the team. The second you have any details, you call me. You report back to me. I don't care if it's 2 in the afternoon or 2 in the morning. I will sleep with the telephone. Do you understand?" Jo firmly stated while pointing her index finger in Lindsay's face. She quickly pulled back as she realized her rude gesture.

Lindsay stood up and looked Jo in the eye. "I promise that if I don't call, one of us will. We're going to find him, okay? We will make sure of it" She promised as she took both of Jo's hands and cupped them in hers. She smiled and let go of them, dashing out the door, hollering all of the team's names to prepare the chopper and prepare for a rescue.

Her eyebrows bunched together and she bit her lip in attempt to keep back her tears but she couldn't help it. She dropped back into her chair and buried her face in her hands. The tears were dripping through the cracks of her fingers and rolled down her arms. _Come home, Mac, come home._

* * *

Living only a few blocks away from the beach, a couple in their early sixties stepped outside to take their daily stroll. Mae, a slim and fit elderly lady sat down on a rocking chair that resided on her white porch. She slowly bent over to tie the loose ends of her shoelaces and looked up when she saw her husband, Alex, open the mesh front door to join his wife.

"You ready, dear?" Alex asked as he reached out into nothingness for a quick stretch.

With a simple nod, Mae smiled at her husband and took his hand in hers. As a daily routine, they walked down to the beach where they embraced the warm sun and the fresh air while listening to the gentle whispers of the water. Walking hand in hand, Alex noticed that his wife was quiet this morning and he knew why. It was the eve of the tragic day where they lost him five years ago.

"Mae, sweetie…" He whispered as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, continuing her walk.

"No no, Alex, I'm okay… I'm just thinking.." Mae interrupted but she continued to stare at her feet; one slowly placed in front of the other.

"Yeah, you're thinking about Charlie, aren't you?" Alex said with a soft, low voice.

She looked up at her husband with moisture filled eyes and Alex saw a flicker of grief but he didn't blame her. He had been thinking about it all morning.

They walked in silence with no sounds besides the gentle swoosh of the water and the occasional squawk of a seagull. Then they saw a man lying by the rocks of the beach and they looked at each other with concern in their eyes.

"Should we go check on him?" Mae asked as her eyebrows furrowed and the crease between them deepened.

"He's probably just fell asleep, come on." Alex replied as he snaked his arm around her waist, urging her to continue their walk.

"No, no… you don't sleep on a beach with wet soaking jeans in a position like that! You should know that!" Mae said with a raised voice.

He looked at her for a moment and he knew she was right. _God damn it, okay. _He let out a long sigh and pushed her forward a little bit, gesturing his permission to go see whoever it was that was lying there.

Their senses were torn between walking or jogging but decided to power walk it to the man who was lying by the rocks. When they finally got there, Mae was the first one who let out a gasp as she covered her mouth.

"Oh god, he's bleeding from the head, Alex! Get him to the hospital!" Mae suggested with concern and worry in his voice.

Alex crouched down beside the body and checked for his pulse. _Weak, but still there_. He checked the man's pant pockets and pulled out a black leather wallet. He pulled out the ID and examined it, squinting at the small writing. Mae looked at him, kneeing him gently to indicate her annoyance.

"His name is Jack Tyson, 45 years old from Bronx, New York. What the hell is he doing here?" Alex questioned as his investigating instincts shot through him.

"We don't have time for that now, let's get him to the hospital!" Mae insisted as he tugged at her husband's shirt. _You don't change do you, old man._

He stood up and took his phone out of his pant pocket. He quickly dialed 911 and placed his call.

* * *

The paramedics rushed him through the hospital doors and straight into the operating room. The couple let out a sigh and found a seat by in the hospital. They prepped him for surgery and the operation light flicked on. A nurse came out of the OR and informed the couple his injuries.

"The patient suffered from two fractured ribs and he has several bruises all on his body. He's in surgery right now 'cos he suffered epidural hematoma, a tragic brain injury, which means clo…"

"I know what it means, thank you." Mae interrupted. She had been doing this long enough to hear a newbie nurse talk to her like some child. Mae shook her and nodded to the nurse showing her gesture of understanding.

"Okay, I'll be at the front desk if you need me." The nurse stuttered as she quickly walked over to the desk.

Alex noticed a policeman entered through the automatic sliding doors and recognized the young man. Alex reached his arm out in the air and motioned his hand to greet him. The young man responded with the same gesture as he walked closer to the couple. Once he approached, Alex shook the man's hand and Mae added, "Hello, Evan."

Even waved his hand around, signaling for Alex and Mae to sit down.

"How you guys holding up? We'll all be there tomorrow for Charlie." Even started off the conversation and patted Alex's lap.

They both smiled at Evan but it was Alex who spoke knowing his wife doesn't like the topic, "Thank you, Evan. Charlie would appreciate that."

Evan nodded and decided to start right away as he spoke, "How did you find Jack Tyson?"

Mae missed the good old days and it felt different being the one who was questioned. "We were going for a morning walk by the beach. It was a routine and we always walk for about an hour or so. About half an hour into our walk, we saw a man who was lying on the beach by large slabs of rock." Mae explained.

"Do you know this man?" Even asked as he took down some notes.

"He was a childhood friend of Charlie's." Mae blurted.

Alex looked at her with a furrowed eyebrow as Evan was scribbling in his notepad. _What?_

Evan continued to ask other simple basic questions while he quickly wrote their answers down. Once questioning was complete, the couple shook hands with officer as he headed out of the hospital. Alex grabbed Mae by the elbow and pulled her aside asking, "A childhood friend of Charlie's? Why did you say that?"

"Well…." Mae whispered, trying to figure out her words. "For whatever reason, he reminds me terribly of Charlie. When he wakes up and maybe, just maybe if he doesn't have anywhere to go… he'll stay with us. It's not like our life is very exciting!" Mae finally word vomited her intentions. She looked at her husband and felt guilty of spilling those words. Alex looked at her with wide eyes and then drew in a long breath of air. She looked back at him and added, "Please… just until he finds a place to stay."

"I guess it does get a bit boring around the house…." Alex said softly. She smiled at him and let out a long breath of relief. She nested her head on the crook of his neck and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

The hours passed and the couple waited for him outside of the OR. They stared at the operating light, waiting for it to flick off. They sat in silence as Alex bought his wife cups of coffee and a quick chicken wrap from the hospital café.

After the long hours, Alex's impatient personality showed through and started to regret agreeing with the whole living arrangement. "Why are we even waiting for this man? We don't even know him!" Alex murmured, just loud enough for his wife to hear. _Jesus Christ, waste of time_.

"Because we are good Samaritans. If Jack saw you lying there on the beach, you'll probably do the same thing." Mae replied softly.

Alex looked at his wife and let out a long breath, "I guess you're right." A second of silence stretched between them and the operation light flicked off. The doctor came out of the double push doors and greeted them.

"Dr. Naples." The doctor with a peppered beard said as he took Alex's hand and shook it. "Alex Miller and this is my wife, Mae."

"Hello, how is he?" Mae asked with a worried look on her face.

"I think Jenny over there already told you that he was diagnosed with epidural hematoma. He must have hit that rock slab pretty hard because the brain jolted backwards and hit the skull on the opposite side, causing internal bleeding and bruising. Thankfully we were able to drain the blood just in time before it clotted which can be extremely serious. He's asleep right now and it's up to the patient's strength to wake up." The doctor explained as the couple nodded their heads in agreement. The doctor was confused on their understanding and asked, "You know a lot about head injuries?"

Mae and Alex looked at him and smiled. "Oh let's just say that much of our family members work in the field of forensic science." Alex chuckled.

"Really? Well anyways, why don't you two go home and we will call you once the patient wakes up. How does that sound?" Dr. Naples suggested as he took off his hospital cap and folded in his hands.

"Sounds great, thank you so much Doctor." Mae said and shook their doctor's hand.

Mae went to bed that night, hoping that she would be able to bring Jack home and get to know him better. His blonde/brown hair, his facial structures, his built reminded her so much of Charlie. _If he had hazel eyes, he would look identical to Charlie_. At 4:30am and the couple had been sound asleep until the obnoxious ring of a telephone woke them. Mae reached over the night table and grabbed the phone. She squinted her eyes so she could focus her vision in the dark and she read the caller ID. _Cape Cod General Hospital._

* * *

It was 4:30am in New York and she closed her eyes for a total of four minutes and twenty-seven seconds. She tossed and twirled in her bed, unable to fall asleep. She was not used to the absence of warmth beside her at nights. She felt so cold and lonely with out him, and knowing that he's missing somewhere, made her feel impeccably useless and disturbed. Tonight was the first of many nights she must face in that lonely bed until he was found. Unable to breathe in the reminisce of his aroma; she decided to lie down on the couch instead.

She grabbed her pillow and headed towards the living room. On her way there, she peaked into Ellie's room and she was peacefully sleeping, blocking out any worries of life. She walked down the hallway and plopped down on the couch. She closed her eyes for ten seconds and opened them again as she heard sirens flaring down the streets of 3rd avenue. She got up and stepped outside on her apartment balcony. She looked down below, eyeing the people that walked by, wondering why they weren't at home at this hour. She looked across to the opposing apartment and could see a silhouette of a couple doing their lusty business which gripped at her heart as she desperately wanted him to hold her tonight. She looked down at the streets again and smirked when she saw a NYPD officer chasing a chubby person the sidewalk.

She thought about how her cousin was shot five years ago this day. She thought about how she her aunt and uncle would react when she told them that she wouldn't be able to make it to the cemetery tomorrow. But she mostly thought about Mac. She tilted her head up and looked aimlessly for it. _Where are you?_ Then she saw it – big, round and its illumination made her face glow. Mac's voice replayed in her head, "_You made me stick out my thumb and stick out my arm in front like an idiot! Just remember what you told me and I'll be with you no matter where I am_".

She stuck out her arm in front of her, clenched her fist and stuck up her thumb. She whispered into the night sky and the crowded streets of New York, "Mac, no matter where you are… the moon will never be bigger than your thumb." She dropped her arm back down to her sides and looked up at the tiny specks of glitter in the sky. _Charlie, shine a star or something. Tell me where Mac is._

* * *

_**A/N 2: I already have the plot of this story all planned out by pen and paper and it's going to get sad/teary and of course, crime and drama! This story looks to be 15 chapters give or take, so please come back for more! Like my previous story, I always write the ending chapter first so I know how to write the story to get there : )**_

_Credits to:_

_The concept of the moon and the part where Jo says, "The moon will never be bigger than your thumb" was from the book, "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks published in 2010. _

_**I'm so sorry if you thought this chapter was boring (I thought that too!). I'm so so sorry for the late update, but here's 6500 words LOL! But, I post the date I will upload the proceeding chapter on my profile, so go check it out if you like. Love you all, and I sincerely appreciate each and every review, follow, favorite and all that good stuff you guys spoil me with! Thanks so much! x. **_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey! I'm sooooo sorry for the late upload! I was at a summer program and I just got home! So, after that little story I uploaded, "He Wants To Get Married", I immediately came back to this story and continued writing! I feel so bad for the delay and I apologize to my loyal readers and reviewers! I promise the next chapter will be up in about two days. The first part of this chapter might be a little slow, but…(!) it's significant and you'll see it later on ;)**_

_**If you guys haven't read my short story yet, here's the link: **_

** s/8373139/1/He_Wants_To_Get_Married**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI NY!**_

_In the Previous Chapter:_

She stuck out her arm in front of her, clenched her fist and stuck up her thumb. She whispered into the night sky and the crowded streets of New York, "Mac, no matter where you are… the moon will never be bigger than your thumb." She dropped her arm back down to her sides and looked up at the tiny specks of glitter in the sky. _Charlie, shine a star or something. Tell me where Mac is._

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

_**July 30**__**th**__**, 4:45am**_

The couple woke from their sleep and quickly got dressed. Mae was rather fast and was ready to head out the door before her husband, which was strangely unusual. The thought of Jack waking up sent strange signals of excitement inside her. She couldn't explain why, but she felt a rather comforting connection with the man she never even spoken with before. She was eagerly waiting for her husband in the front foyer, pulling her hair back with a red satin ribbon.

"Alex, hurry up! I want to stop to get some flowers!" She said loud enough for her husband to hear.

"Honey, it's 4:45 in the morning, no one is opened besides Busy Bees by the hospital!" He reminded her as let out a long yawn.

She didn't reply. _God damn it, you're right._ She had no idea why she thought about getting flowers; she hated flowers ever since Charlie's death. Flowers reminded her of his funeral and she would keep all flowers out of the house. For some reason at the urge of the moment, she missed flowers… she missed seeing them, smelling them and she missed the beauty they brought to the house. She stepped outside and saw a bed of soil that once used to nourish flowers.

Suddenly she remembered her neighbor, Anna, had a flower garden right along the sides of her house. It was still a bit dark outside so she thought she could take a risk. She saw her husband step next to her with a confused expression painted on his face as to why she was looking so mysteriously at their neighbor's house. "What are you doing?" He whispered.

"Shh, stay here." Mae insisted.

She started to creep, walking quickly but quietly across her lawn and eventually onto Anna's. She crept to the side of the house where the flowers peacefully rested. She saw sunflowers, her favorite, Charlie's favorite, Alex's favorite, Lily's favorite. She hoped that Jack would like them too. She snapped one off, then two and then actually fled Anna's lawn with three of them in her hand. She crept quickly back to her house where her husband was watching her every move.

"What the hell?" Alex questioned.

"For Jack." She simply said as she took the ribbon out of her hair and tied the flowers together with them.

"Okay, let's go see Jack now…" Alex said without questioning his wife. They stepped out the door and he locked the door behind him. In the dark morning, he turned the keys to start the engine and exhaust filled the cool morning air. They buckled in their seat belts and as Alex pulled the shift gear into reverse.

Mae saw the familiar item hanging from his rear view mirror and smiled. "Are you ever going to take that off?" She said as she pointed to the item that dangled on a chain. She took hold of it to stop its movement and examined it closely, _CCPD_.

"Yeah maybe I should. Want to put it in the glove box for me? I don't want Jack to be intimidated by it and run away." Alex said as he let out a low chuckle.

She did what he asked and took it off the rear view mirror and gently placed it in the glove box. She sighed as she tightened her grip on the flowers, looking out the window. Alex saw her tensed emotions and knew that she was nervous to see him. He was just as nervous as she was and he couldn't explain why.

They entered the hospital through the automatic sliding doors and made their way to the front desk. She was relieved that Jenny wasn't on shift this early in the morning, as she felt guilty for being so rude to her earlier on. "Hi, we got a call about a half an hour ago. We're here to see Jack Tyson." Mae spoke into the receiver, looking at the young nurse through the glass.

"Names." The nurse replied rapidly, clearly tired at five in the morning.

"Alex and Mae Miller." Alex quickly blurted out.

"Room 217, down that hall." The nurse said, pointing to the couple's leftward direction.

Alex thanked the nurse and walked towards their left to find the room number.

"I've told you for thirty years, I don't want your last name." Mae told her husband sternly.

Alex didn't reply to her comment as they reached a door that housed the plate with the inscribed numbers of 217. They walked in slowly and saw Dr. Naples by Jack's bedside, scribbling some notes on a clipboard and then slipping it in place at the end of the bed. They saw him, bandaged across the head, bruised across the left side of his face, a small stich across his right side, cast slung onto his arm and an utterly pale, swollen complexion. Mae gasped at her inability to recognize the man from earlier on and an unexplainable small sense of sorrow poked at her heart.

They walked up to the bed and looked at the doctor in confusion. "So a hematoma comes with a broken arm as a complimentary gift?" Mae noted sarcastically.

The doctor smiled at her clever comment, "No, but if you let Jenny finish going over his other injuries, you would've found out about them." The doctor threw back.

"Sorry, what are his other injuries?" Mae replied apologetically.

"The obvious - trauma to the head, a broken arm, a few bruises and lacerations to the face. He should be able to heal from those injuries soon but I want him here for at least a week to keep an eye on the head." Dr. Naples listed in a sincere, low voice.

The chattering between the doctor and the couple was broken by a soft moan from the bed beside them. He only managed a, "hey" as his eyes slowly shifted to them. The doctor went to his side and placed a gentle hand on this good arm and said in a low, soft voice, "These are the people who brought you here and saved your life, Jack."

He looked at the doctor and let a shadow of a smile caress his face. He then shifted his eyes at the nametag pinned onto his white coat, Timothy Naples; MD. He noticed that there was a small logo on the top left hand corner of the nameplate that had the letters, CCGH inscribed in it and words that read, _Cape Cod General Hospital_.

"Hey, Jack! How are you feeling?" Alex asked softly, looking deep into his tired eyes. He stared at the elderly man who was staring at him and he cocked at eyebrow at the sound of the strange name that gave him his identity. _Jack's my name? Sure…._

"I could be better." He muttered and added, "How did you know my name?"

"We found your ID in your wallet, along with a few twenty dollar bills. Jack, Jack Tyson right?" Alex explained with a smile.

"Yeah…" _I guess my name is Jack then_…

"Here are some sunflowers, hope you like them." Mae said softly as she placed the bundle beside his bed.

"Thank you, they're my favorite." He said gratefully. He loved sunflowers and the red ribbon around them was so oddly familiar. She smiled at him and she let out a little breath of relief.

A second a silence broke between them before the old woman asked, "Do you have any family members that we can contact?" _Please say no…_

_Think… do you? No… wait… yes… who? I have no family…._ "No… If I do, I don't remember…"

"The patient will suffer amnesia and it is up to Jack's strength to recover his memory. Some may take up to as little as a week and some may take up to a year or even more." The doctor said as he folded his arms, resting them on his stomach and added, "I'll leave you three alone" as he headed out the door.

"Jack, I'm Mae and Alex, my husband" The old woman said as she placed a hand on her husband's chest. _Our home will soon have life again…_

"Do… do you know where I live?" Jack stammered. _Why can't I remember these things?_

"I'm sorry, we don't. All the information we have on you is your name and for some odd reason, it only says you're from the Bronx in New York."

"Since you have no family, would you like to stay with us and we can help you get back on your feet?" She added as she placed a gentle hand on his arm. She looked at him with a warm smile planted on her face, secretly hoping that he would say yes.

He stared at them for a moment, trying to remember the strangely familiar place that they mentioned; New York. _Is that where I live? Why can't I remember it? Who's there? What do I do there?_

"Would you like to go back home?" Mae quickly asked.

He considered the offer and looked at them for a moment. _They seem nice, but do I belong? It won't hurt; I don't even know where I live. I don't even know anyone in New York…. _He didn't answer her question, he simply replied with, "Sure, thank you for your generosity."

"Good, you remind us of our son, Charlie. You can stay in our spare bedroom. It's a cozy ole' place but you'll enjoy it." Alex encouraged.

"Thanks Alex, I'm sure it will be great." He mumbled as he winced when another burst of pain shot through his body.

"Take it easy now, Jack. We'll be back tomorrow to check on you." Mae smiled.

"Thank you… thank you for saving my life." He murmured thankfully.

"God gave us two hands; one to help yourself and one to help others." Mae said as she took his hand in hers and rubbed the top with her thumb.

"Are you sure your son won't mind me staying with you?"

"He's not with us anymore." She let go of his hand and smiled at him once again while Alex wrapped his arms around her, leading her out of the room. He too smiled at their gesture of goodbye but a promise of return. He watched them leave the room and he heard the quiet beeping of the monitors that were hooked up to him. He shifted his body a little and he stared at the ceiling. _How did I get here? Who the hell am I?_

* * *

Don had already contacted the Providence Police Department and they agreed to help in a heartbeat. They were already at the scene when the New York team arrived in Providence. Danny, Lindsay, and Sheldon met up with Don at exactly 5:29am outside of the abandoned house. Two choppers flew over them and the police cars surrounded the river. The clouds were gently being pushed along the sky by the wind and the waters flowed calmly. The forest was disastrous as several trees were knocked down by last night's treacherous storm.

Danny pointed to different locations in the forest and the river. The team and uniforms from both the Providence and New York department were split into groups of four and were sent out to search the locations that Danny had pointed to.

_**Same day, July 30**__**th**__**, 10:30 am**_

They searched endlessly for almost five hours; in the forest, by the river. Uniforms searched by air, by water, by land, by foot and by car. _Nothing, no body_. Lindsay heard her cell ring and took it out from the holster attached to her hip. She saw the caller ID and let out a sigh. _What am I going to say, that the other half of your heart is floating in the river somewhere?_

She shook her head, indecisive on how she was going to deliver the news, she flipped open her phone and said, "Hey Jo…" She put her hand up to her forehead and let out a long breath as she looked up to the sky, hoping God would reveal some answers to her.

. . . . .

"Lindsay, tell me you've got a lead." Jo asked as she started tapping her desk with the bottom of her pen, waiting anxiously for a hopeful answer. Her heartbeat quickened and she swallowed a lump in her throat.

. . . . .

"Jo, I'm sorry… we…" Lindsay stammered. _How the hell am I going to phrase this?_ She looked around at the sky again, rolling her eyes back and forth to hold back the tear that was going to run down her face at any second. She was agitated that all forty-seven uniforms could not find a single man in the water.

. . . . .

"Lindsay…" Jo whispered quietly. She gripped the phone with such force that her knuckles turned white. Her hands started to shake and she held onto the phone even tighter, fearing that she would drop it. She looked up to the ceiling, preparing herself for the news. _You've found him. Yeah, she's just fooling with me._

. . . . .

"We searched up the river, opposite of the current and we searched in the direction of current. We couldn't find anything, not even pieces of his shirt or any items that might have belonged to him." She swatted at the fly that flew past her as the first tear rolled down her exhausted face. _In that storm, it was almost impossible for anyone to survive it. Was there a possibility that Mac could've survived?_

_. . . . . _

The words rang through Jo's ear and it took a few moments for her to register them. She stood still and couldn't decide whether she was angry or upset but she knew she was mad, because she was about to go insane. She gathered her thoughts and she managed to spit out, "Uh…" a sorrowful little groan.

Now all of the sudden, out of the blue, she was angry. She was angry with her team for not being able to find anything, but for some odd reason… she was angry with herself. She couldn't explain it, but she was angry at her frustrations. Nausea swirled in her stomach and it let out a loud rumble. She realized that she hadn't eaten since yesterday at lunch._ Coffee, I need coffee. _

_. . . . ._

Lindsay heard silence on the other end of the phone and concern filled her. She let out a little whisper, "Jo?"6

. . . . .

With unknown anger and frustrations, Jo hollered, "Look again, search everywhere! Ask everyone who lives along the river. I want him found TODAY!" Her loud voice shocked those who walked pass her office and Adam who was in the room opposite looked up with a confused look. She looked at them angrily and they all proceeded to their regular duties_. Jo, calm yourself. _

Without another word, she ended the call leaving Lindsay hanging on the other end. She opened the folder on her desk filed under "Missing Persons". Never in her life would she expect to see his picture clipped onto a document, filled with his personal information and date of disappearance. She buried her face in her hands but she didn't cry. She had no more energy to cry, no more tears to extract.

. . . .

Lindsay continued to press the phone to her ear until the buzzing signaling the end of a phone call was all that she heard. She let out a long breath, unable to gather her thoughts. She shoved her phone back in her hip holster and folded her arms across her chest with her head hung low.

Danny saw his agitated wife and approached her with caution, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He whispered, "Was that Jo?".

Her head hung even lower, "Yeah, and she is insanely pissed."

* * *

She was blindfolded with her hands tied behind her back and a dirty old rag stuffed into her mouth. She felt them push her to the floor as she dropped to her knees. She heard the sound of a train making its way to a desired destination on rusty metal track. She also heard music, childish, clownish music and she automatically recognized it from her childhood and she wondered where she was. _Please don't kill me._

"Pa, here she is." Luke scowled as he threw the girl to the ground with a grin_. Not so bad, might fool around with her tonight._

"Good job, son. Those bastards can't do anything." McGraw said with a cigar in his mouth as he patted his son on the back.

McGraw walked over to the girl that was knelt right in front of him and grabbed her head back with a fistful of hair. She shook violently under his touch and she couldn't think of any reason why she would deserve this. He took out a switchblade from the back pocket of his pants and flipped it open. He ran the sides of the blade against her face and the cold metal made her shiver. He slipped the blade between her face and the blindfold and tugged forcefully at it until it ripped open, revealing her eyes to him.

She looked at his face and stared directly in his icy cold eyes. His face was unshaved and his breath reeked with alcohol and cigar smoke. She looked away from him to get away from his treacherous appearance. _Get the hell away from me!_

He let go of her hair and decided to give the girl one hard slap to the face. She almost fell over but she knew she had to remain strong and hold her stance.

He pulled out a gun from his hip in one swift movement and hollered, "What did they say to you? TELL ME or I'll shoot her." with a gun pointing at a woman in the corner whose hands and legs were tied together.

She turned her head and noticed that her mother was in the corner unable to speak, unable to move. Fear clawed through her as she had to make the toughest decision of her life. _Save all those girls, or save my mother._ "Mom! I didn't tell them anything!" She cried out_. Please, not my mom…._

"Oh yes you did, bitch." He said while he steadied his hand, pointing the barrel at the woman's chest.

Jepson, McGraw's second in command walked over to the girl and whispered, "Tell him or else you'll see your mother's brains on the floor" as he took tresses of the girl's hair into a fisted hand and pulled back.

"They're…" She trembled. It hurt like hell, but she didn't wince. _Stay strong, stay strong! _She saw his index finger on the trigger, about to pull. She had to save her mom; she will find another way to save the other girls. Without thinking again she blurted, "They're detectives!"

McGraw grew angry as his breathing became labored. He wanted to shoot them both, have them disappear forever. "NAMES." He roared in the girl's face.

She started to tremble and McGraw took pleasure in seeing her revealing her fear. She managed to murmur, "Mac and…. Don."

"LAST NAMES" McGraw roared as he made his way over to the girl's mother and kicked her in the stomach.

The woman let out a chilling cry into the rag that was stuffed in her mouth as she collapsed sideways, bringing her knees to her chest. _Don't tell them anything, Christina! Save the others!_

"Tell me their last names NOW!" Luke shouted into her ear this time as McGraw paced back and forth in his cloud of cigar smoke.

"NO!" She shouted back at him with equal amplitude.

"Tell me now or I'll kill her right now, right here!" McGraw threatened.

She shivered and trembled at the thought of her mother dead and bleeding in front of her.

She desperately tried to remember what their last names where. _Think Christina… think!_ She closed her eyes and tried to remember anything in that house or the car that might have had their last names on it.

"TELL ME!"

She closed her eyes again and then she remembered seeing files on the counter that read, _M. Taylor_ and D. Flack. She debated on whether she should tell them their names. If she didn't, her mother would die right in front of her and she could lose her on life too. If she did, the men that saved her and promised to save all of them, could die. She was on the verge of tears as she was debating what to do. But ultimately, family meant more to her than anything else. She wanted her mother to live, she wanted to live. She made a decision that will forever put those girls in danger…

"Don Flack and Mac Taylor" She spitted out.

"You bitch." Jepson snarled in her ear as he let go of her hair, making her shake.

Without saying another word, McGraw pulled the trigger with the barrel aiming at the trembling woman in the corner. In a split second, the thundering sound of the gun filled the air.

"MOM!" She screamed out. She dropped to her side and squirmed her way to her bleeding mother by inching slowly with her tied hands and feet. Once she finally made her way to the woman, she lay there next to her. _No, no, no! You're alive, you're alive!_

She knew that her mother wasn't alive anymore as her eyes remained open. Christina stared into her empty soul and tears trembled down her face. _I hate you, I hate you all!_

"What are we going to do with the girl?" Luke asked his father.

"Take her back to Providence, she's our best seller."

* * *

_**August 13**__**th**__**, 9:00am**_

They continued to search for the next two weeks, knowing that they were searching for one of the most important person in their lives; their boss and their long time friend. The Providence Police put up posters, plastered his face in the local news and went around town with his picture, asking the public if they had ever came across him during their daily errands. They all replied with a fearful shake of their heads and walked away.

Danny was on the phone with Jo who called once every three hours. They were both agitated with each other and the team simply couldn't handle their boss's attitude anymore.

"Jo, we've been out here for two weeks. We searched the area over and over again, we have no sign of his body anywhere."

. . . .

"NO SIGN OF HIS BODY? That means he's still alive! Keep looking!"

. . . .

"Jo…" He heard silence on the other end and decided to speak again.

"Look, we will check over the area once last time. The river by the house where Mac stayed, flows out into a huge bay! We went as far as Cape Cod and it's near impossible to find him in this large body of water!" By now, Danny was getting utterly frustrated. He was frustrated that the team couldn't find Mac by land, by water or by air. He was frustrated with Jo; he understood how hurt she must be but she had no right to take out her frustrations on the team by yelling at them on the phone.

. . . . .

"Danny, I'm sorry. It's just that… he means so much to me"

. . . . .

"Jo, it's okay. He means a lot to us too, he's basically our best friend. We're all exhausted and we all want to find him. Look, we're in Cape Cod now and we're going to find McGraw. Christina told Don that McGraw is hiding out here somewhere and I'm sure he has the location list. Don and eight other guys are going back to Providence to the nest where he found Christina as we speak."

. . . .

Realizing how much strain she was putting on the team, she knew that Danny was right. She was going absolutely insane, searching for the impossible. Two weeks had already passed and there was no sign of him. She was simply wasting their time. She let out a pent breath and said, "Come home. We'll send others out as soon as we find an exact location where McGraw might be hiding. You guys need a break." and hung up the phone. _I hate myself for losing you…_

Danny shut his cell phone and dropped it in his coat pocket as he hung his head low, giving it a dissatisfying shake. He looked up to Sheldon who was looking at him with tired, sorrowful eyes.

"How did that go?" Sheldon asked in a low, soft voice.

"She's letting us go home."

Sheldon let out a long breath and a silence stretched between them until he decided to speak again, "Do you think someone may have checked him into the hospital somewhere near here?"

"I don't think so. If someone did, NYPD would be notified if anything by the name of Mac Taylor comes into any system." Danny replied as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sheldon said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Busy Bees then? Black with sugar? It will be on me this time." Danny suggested and placed a firm grip on his friend's shoulder.

* * *

_**A/N: Thanks for reading this chapter! I apologize for its length as I do know its relatively long… I will try to cut them out a little short and perhaps the story will extend past my planned 15 chapters… As you may have noticed, I added a time line to hopefully guide you through the story as I do know that I tend to jump from location to location.**_

_**The next chapter will be up very very soon! It's actually done and I'm just spending some time beefing it up and making it great for you guys to read! The next chapter will be some realization, a surprise and we're going to see McGraw again…**_

**_If things don't make sense or you caught a spelling/grammar error or (!) some forensic/medical info is wrong, please let me know! I'm not really good at this stuff!_**

_**Come back in two or three days to read what happens next! **_

_**Please read and review! Thanks so much!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: I know I promised to get this chapter up two/three days apart from the previous chapter and I totally broke my promise! My internet was down and those of you who might've seen posts on my Tumblr were from my phone. So I decided to hook up my phone's hotspot to my laptop and upload this as I cannot wait any longer! I know that's not an excuse but I still broke my promise! Please forgive me! **_

_**Please review if you see any errors in grammar – anything! I love all of your reviews and reading them makes me smile everyday! **_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own CSI:NY**_

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

_**August 13**__**th**__**, 9:00am**_

He left the hospital that morning with a bandage around his head and a reminisce of a scar on his face. With a cast around his arm still in tact, he managed to open the truck door by himself. The car ride back to the couple's place wasn't that far; perhaps only about a ten, fifteen-minute drive. In those fifteen minutes, the couple gave Jack a summary of their lives in attempt to calm his nerves. They mentioned that they lived on beach; opposite sides of where they found him, in a quiet house that looked over the water. He even asked how he got his injuries and how he ended up in the hospital as he sat in the back seat, listening attentively to every detail.

They finally pulled up to their house and he mentally sighed in relief. He stepped out of the car with nothing in hand except a heart full of gratitude. He looked at the house; it was nice… but beaten up. He looked around and it was a nice neighborhood, but most of the houses were old and falling apart. But for some reason, the old architecture gave him a sense of comfort as they housed generations of life, love and laughter.

It didn't feel like they were moving in with him as he had no clothes, a confused identity and two crumpled up twenty-dollar bills. He had nothing to offer to them but they were so generous in accepting him into their home. They noted that his physique closely matched their son's and offered for him to use his clothes that were neatly folded in what used to be Charlie's bedroom when he visited on the weekends. He refused their offer of sleeping in Charlie's room as it didn't feel right to him but he gladly accepted the guest room

"Well, feel free to look around. We don't have much here." Mae exclaimed as they walked into their home.

"We're very down to earth people. We don't need any media crap; we've had enough of that back in the day. We got no television, no Internet, no radio in the house, we've got no newspapers either… we just like to be ourselves. We've got a phone though, my number 2 girlfriend calls often." Alex laughing at his cruel joke while taking off his shoes.

"Very funny, old man. Anyways, Busy Bees" is a café by the hospital and they've got Internet and a TV, just incase you're bored of the beachside and the chirping of birds." Mae chuckled.

* * *

_**Same day, August 13th, 11:00 am**_

Don led the team and the New York Special Victims Unit to downtown Providence; back to the abandoned building that he and Mac first got hold of Christina. He ordered all units to surround the entire building and approach it from behind; knowing that there was a guard at the entranceway. He got out of his cruiser with three uniforms following behind him. He crept gingerly around the corner of the building to make his way to the entrance.

He looked at the two uniforms behind him and whispered, "stay here, I'll give you the signal."

He approached the door and he knocked. He had a leather coat on, concealing his bulletproof vest and badge underneath. It was the same man that opened the door and he snarled, "What do you want?"

Don stepped in the entrance way a little, and the man warned, "Whoa buddy, what the hell do you want?"

Don stepped in with another foot and he said in a low soft voice, "the menu". The man let the corner of his mouth curl up and he let out a low, raspy chuckle. "Go ahead, room 466."

Don stepped all the way in the entrance and started proceeding to the stairs. He quickly turned around and saw the man with his back facing him. _Perfect. _He whispered in his receiver that was hidden by his collar of his leather jacket, "Three, go". The man heard what Don had whispered and quickly realized what was happening and decided to pursuit. But in one quick pounce, Don leapt on top of the man, sending him crashing face first to the dirty floor.

The three uniforms that were following Don, busted the door and had all of their guns aiming at the man who was squirming on the floor under Don. With his knee pressed onto his back, Don reached behind him to grab a pair of hand cuffs to quickly cuff the man's wrists together. He chuckled at his rapid success and he said in a low voice, "You're most pathetic criminal ever. Didn't even put up a fight."

He looked up at the three officers and directed two of them to take him away. He said in a louder voice this time into his receiver, "send the SVU's and the uniforms in." In a mere ten seconds, twelve members of the NYPD Detective Branch came charging in through the decaying door, ready for Don's next command.

He was shocked at how fast the members came rushing in and with a nod of satisfaction he said in low voice, "downstairs room 466 to the right. No one make a sound." They all looked at him as the command registered in their heads. Don proceeded down the stairs with caution, carefully placing one foot in front of the other with his hands firmly gripped onto his gun. When he approached the door that he angrily recognized, he waved for equal numbers of uniforms to be on each side of the door. He reached out a fisted hand and knocked on the door.

"Customer!" He heard a familiar voice holler from inside of the room. He then heard the marching of footsteps, coming closer and closer to him with each step. He saw the handle of the door turning and he readied his stance. Hector opened the door and his eyes widened. _Shit, NYPD!_

Hector was about to make a run for it but an uniform to the right of Don leaped on him and pinned him to the ground, handcuffing him on the way. Don saw Lopez and made eye contact with him as the man stepped out of a hallway into the main area. Don along with another cop pounced towards him and he was surprised that Lopez was putting up a fight.

Lopez raised a fisted hand and blew one across Don's face and Don did not hesitate to reciprocate one back at him. In a flash of a second, Don had him in a headlock but lost footing when Lopez elbowed him in the gut, causing Don to stagger back. _Crap! _He saw the girls huddled in the corner, shivering with fear and a sharp sense of sorrow tore through him, making him fight even harder.

He looked away for a split second and before he knew it, Lopez grabbed Christina and held her in a headlock with a knife to her throat. In an act of immediate response, all members had their guns aimed at Lopez's head.

"Drop the guns or I will slice her throat, you think I'm kidding?" Lopez hollered as he tightened his grip around the girl's neck.

Don looked into Christina's eyes, he recognized the same element of fear that was burning in her eyes. _You want to play? _"Look where my gun's aiming. If you dare touch her, I can put a nice hole in your head. You think I'm kidding?" Don threw back at him with a nod of his head.

Lopez knew he was right. He had no chance of survival, no chance of escaping. About eight guns with lasers were pointing right at him. _I'm sorry, John._ He let go of the girl who fell to the ground and immediately huddled in fetal position, shivering with fear. He loosened his grip on the knife until it dropped to the floor as the metal made a chattering sound that rang threw his ears.

He put his hands up and closed his eyes. _It's over, it's all over. _An officer immediately took his cue and made his way over to Lopez who was holding his hands up in surrender. The officer reached up and took both of his hands behind his back and secured the handcuffs. The officer jolted Lopez as a signal to get moving as he said, "this is what happens when you bring a knife to a gun fight."

"Hey Devon. Body check." Don signaled for the rookie officer. Devon immediately responded by giving Lopez a pat down. Lopez froze on the spot as he forgot what was in his pocket. _I'm so screwed._ Devon came across a small device that was similar in appearance to a touchscreen smart phone. He took it out of Lopez's back pocket and examined it closely. _What the hell?_

"Flack, I've got something." Devon said as he handed Don the device.

Don took it in his hands and twirled it around to find the power button. Once he found it, he gave it a gentle click and the device came to life. What appeared to be a grid was lit in the palm of his hands with red illuminated dots on the screen and blue flags. He saw about six blue flags and many red dots, more than he could count. He assumed that the blue flags represented the nest locations while the red dots were all the locations of McGraw's girls. . _Fantastic, I've got all of 'em. _

Don signaled for Devon to take Lopez away and Devon did without hesitation. Don carefully crouched by Christina and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. He let out a long sigh and asked, "Christina! Are you okay?"

The girl looked up at him and whispered, "No". She brought her knees close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she began to shiver. He looked at her with a furrowed brow and asked, "what happened?" when he saw evident fear in her eyes. She kept her mouth shut as she felt guilty for what she had done. She had betrayed them, telling McGraw their names, threatening their safety.

He signaled for the SVU's to watch the girls and check them over, telling them that everything was going to be okay. He continued to look at Christina with look of concern plastered to his face.

He ran his fingers through his hair as he took his cell out of his pant pocket and dialed a call. He let it ring for a few seconds until he heard her southern voice.

. . . .

She was sitting on his chair with a cup of coffee in hand, gently swerving in back and forth with her heel when she was interrupted from her thoughts. She heard her cellphone ring and let out a sigh. _Please tell me you've got something on Mac or McGraw. _She flipped open her phone and spoke, "Flack. What have you got?"

. . . . .

"Jo, we found a tracking device in Lopez' pocket. I turned it on and saw all where all the girls were kept and it even flagged all his nest locations! What do you want our next move to be?" He kept eyeing Christina who was huddled in a ball beside the girls who were each getting examined by the SVU's. With each heartbeat, grief pulsed through him

..

"Great. I'm sending units to each of the locations. You stay there with your location. I don't want any sudden movement of a large group of girls to alert McGraw. I'll be heading to get him with backup but we won't be able to proceed without McGraw's location."

. . . . .

"Yeah, Jo… You do you have any hits where McGraw might be hiding out at?"

. . .

"No… not yet. Perhaps I can talk to Christina, she might be able to tell me something." She asked with a furrowed brow as she looked at framed photo of her and Mac that was peaking out in her pile of post-its and scattered papers.

. . . . .

He crouched down by Christina and spoke softly, "Christina, Detective Jo Danville wants to speak with you. Don't be scared, she is a really nice lady. She's going to ask you some questions and you try to best to answer them, okay?"

He looked at her for approval and she responded with a gentle nod. He handed her his cell and she spoke quietly into with a simple, "Hi…"

. . . .

Jo heard the fear that pierced her soft voice and a sharp sense of sympathy poked at her. She began to speak with a caring voice, "Hey Christina, I'm Jo and I'll help you and the rest of the girls if you can provide me with some information. How does that sound?"

. . .

"Okay." Was all the girl could manage. _It's okay Christina, she's here to help you._

. . . .

"What happened between when you were taken away from Don and now?"

. . . .

"I was taken back to McGraw in a cold, dark place. They…" She closed her eyes as she swallowed her heart that hitched in her throat.

. . . .

"What did they do, Christina?" She asked with a careful voice. _If that were my daughter, I'd rip McGraw's throat out. _

. . . .

She gripped onto the phone tightly and she shook violently. She felt so guilty for what happened and she blamed herself for her mother's death, for betraying the detectives. She felt selfish, she felt dirty. She spoke softly, "They had a gun aimed towards my mum and forced me to tell them about Don and Mac. Once I did they…"

Don looked at her wide eyed with anger shooting through him. _That son of a bitch._

She couldn't hold back the tears anymore as she blurted, "They tricked me! They shot her and all I saw was… blood." If she gripped onto the phone any tighter, it would've shattered in her hands. _I hate him so much. _

His nostrils flared as his desperation for seeing McGraw dead grew inside of him. He sat down beside Christina and brought her close to him.

. . . . .

"Christina, we're going to get them, I promise. Do you remember seeing or hearing anything outside in that room?" She asked as she ran her fingers through her hair.

. . .

She closed her eyes and she desperately didn't want to recall that horrible night but she had to. For all the girls sake and for her mother's sake. She wanted to see him behind bars. She paused for a moment and put herself back into that horrid place. She spoke softly, "I heard a train and music… music that was very familiar … something back from my childhood as if it was an ice cream truck. I also heard children laughing and I saw a playground. I remember before I was thrown into that room, I tripped and fell on a muddy surface."

. . . . .

"Thanks for telling me, can you give the phone back to Don, sweetie?" Jo asked as she headed out of her office and into Adam's.

. . . .

She handed the phone back to him and he took it from her with a smile of thanks. "Yeah." He spoke into it quietly as he stood up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

. . . .

"Hold on for a minute, Flack." She said and she lowered her phone by her chest.

"Adam, Flack told us that Christina mentioned that she heard them speaking about the Boss's location that had the word 'Cod' in their conversation. Assuming 'Cape Cod', Christina said she heard a train and something that sounded like music from an ice cream truck. She also saw a playground in that room. There's only one train station in the whole city so can you trace every ice cream truck in the city and connect it to the route of the train? We should be able to get some sort of location as to where he is."

Without a protest or another word, he typed away into the main computer system and in a flash of a second, data of train stations, ice cream truck companies, maps of Cape Cod, houses, and panorama captures appeared on the several computer screens in front of them. Satisfied with his work, he typed in codes and searched through the database.

"I crossed reference the route of all ice cream trucks to all train tracks in Cape Cod. It looks like he's hiding out in a new neighborhood near a public park. There's a train track right in front of the houses that runs parallel to the neighborhood's ice cream truck." He proudly announced to her but then came to an abrupt pause as he said, "Hold on Jo, I don't think he's hiding out in a house though…"

"What do you mean?" She questioned confusingly

Adam tried angling the 360 panorama a bit. _She said she saw a playground and a swing set. Can you see those sorts of things at a house?_

"Jo, he must've been hiding out in the back of neighborhood. He must've built some sort of shack in the back forest of the neighborhood behind the fences because you can't see the playground from any angle of the houses except the first house on the street and it belongs to a couple with three kids, so I don't think he'll be in that house."

He tried to angle the panorama photograph of the neighborhood again to see if there were any more clues as to where McGraw's shack could be. In a blurry photograph of the back forest, he saw some sort of decaying architecture. His theory of a shack was right.

"Jo! I think I've got a location. It's on Sugar Bowl Road, the shack approximately half a kilometer behind number 576, a blue siding house."

"A shack behind the house… all those houses on that street have some sort of hard, manmade surface leading to all possible entrances. A shack in a forest sounds quite right because Christina also said that she fell on a muddy surface – untouched land. Thanks Adam!"

She went back to her phone and spoke into the receiver, "Flack, we've got a location. We're heading over there right now. I'm ordering the SVU's to take all the girls to Trinity General Hospital all in _one _movement. We are NOT going to take them separately. If the other nests see movement of a big group on their trackers, they will alert McGraw."

. . . .

"Great. Jo, I'll stay here. Get back to me with any further details. Jo… be careful."

* * *

Jo ended the call and dialled another. Without saying hello, she quickly blurted out, "Danny, where are you?"

. . . .

"We're all about to head back to New York, why?" He asked sternly as he held onto his freshly brewed coffee.

. . .

"We found one of the tracking devices on one of our perps. We've got all locations of McGraw's girls. I'm sending all units to surround these areas."

. . . .

"And McGraw?" He asked intuitively while he glanced at Sheldon who was beside him

. . . .

"I'm going to get him. Danny, you and three units will be heading to the Hillcrest location, all units must be prepared to proceed at all locations at exactly 1:00pm" She stated firmly into her phone, gripping onto the leather edge of Adam's office chair.

. . .

He didn't even have the chance to end the call himself before he was already cut off by Jo. He sighed as he put his phone back into his pant pocket. He looked at Sheldon and told him the news. He let out a pent breath and said, "We've got Hillcrest Courts. She ordered all units to proceed together at all locations at exactly 1:00pm."

* * *

_**Same Day, August 13**__**th**__**, noon**_

He settled into the guestroom on the second floor and he was delighted that there was double glass doors that overlooked the beautiful beach. _A balcony here would be amazing._ He then wandered around Charlie's room for a good hour; admiring the his blue uniform that was the only article of clothing that hung in one of the closets, slowly swaying to the rhythm of the wind that blew in. On the shelf of that same closet, he reached up and took hold of a blue cap with a gold decoration right in the center. He skimmed his fingers across the circumference of the decoration and slowly read, Cape Cod Police Department. He carefully placed it back on the shelf beside a nicely shined pair of black boots.

He was called for lunch by an elderly woman's voice and made his way to the dining room table. Mae was busy setting the table while Alex was carefully taking pieces of fried chicken out of the oil fryer and onto a plate covered with napkins. "Lunch is ready, Jack. Hope you like chicken fry and yam fries. There's cherry cheesecake for desert if you like." Mae said as she put the last plate on the table. He smiled at her offer and proceeded to the table.

They kindly asked him to fix up the house once his injuries were healed, suggesting that he start with the siding and perhaps building a porch outside with a gazebo. Alex pointed to porch swing that he started and told him about their dream house but with their aging years, they didn't have the energy to build it. He offered to build their dreams as a sign of gratitude for letting him stay with them. He even asked if he could build a balcony outside his bedroom so he could have the opportunity to step out when the weather was nice.

They granted his wish happily as he finished his meal with a swift wipe of his mouth and got up to help put the dishes in the sink. When the table was cleared, Mae went into the fridge and got the prepared cheesecake and placed it on the counter. From the sink, he turned around and saw a row of picture frames that were neatly propped up on the fireplace mantle. He was immediately intrigued by whatever photographs that they held.

He made his way through to the fireplace mantel and saw all the pictures that were place perfectly on it in beautiful cherry wood frames. He raised his good hand and brushed his fingertips through each and every picture. He smiled at the one where it framed a black and white picture of a bride and groom, presumably the elderly couple that let him into their home. He was mildly intrigued by the one of a man with dirty blonde hair, physically built, holding a police cap and wearing his uniform. Beside that frame was a badge and he picked it up, examining it closely.

"That was Charlie's badge. He was mighty proud of it." Alex spoke in a soft, low voice.

He turned around slightly and smiled at them. He turned back around and continued to look at the framed pictures. There were many of the same man, Charlie, in those pictures. He continued to look through them, they were all family pictures and they sparked an element of envy inside of him. He smiled at each and every one of them until he came across one that struck a chord in his heart. He slowly picked it up and grazed his fingertips on the glass.

He stopped when he came across a woman with dark brown hair that flowed just above her shoulders. She was smiling with all her teeth showing, she had the perfect cheekbones and a stunning, smooth peachy-gold skin complexion.

He looked closer and noticed that she had big brown orbs as eyes and gorgeous arched eyebrows that framed her face. She had a girl with darker skin and curly hair to her left and a young man with dark brown hair to her right who show striking resemblance to her. Behind her was the elderly couple with their hands on her shoulders. All those figures faded in his vision except her; the image of the beautiful brunette remained vivid in his brain.

The couple noticed his intense stare at that single picture and looked confusingly at each other. They walked to him and peaked over his shoulder to see what picture he was looking at. They saw what he was looking at and smiled.

Mae spoke, "That's my niece. Lily used to live in Virginia but now she lives in New York with her kids, Ellie and Tyler who's in college. Ain't she beautiful?"

He smiled at her explanation and continued to look at the picture. He broke the silence by finally saying, "She sure is." in a low, husky voice. He asked, "Where's her husband?" with a confused voice as he noticed there was no man in the picture and she did not wear a wedding ring.

"She kicked that cheating butt out of her household about twelve years ago. Why? You want to know more about her, don't you?" Mae asked jokingly and slightly nudging him with her elbow.

"Maybe.." He replied with a smirk.

"Slow down there, fella. She's getting married soon to a wonderful, wonderful, man who is.. may I quote, 'sexy, handsome, caring, brave and did I mention handsome?" Alex chuckled as he placed a hand on Jack's shoulder.

Jack let out a soft giggle and placed the picture frame back on the mantel. He looked at it one last time and turned around to sit on the couch beside the fireplace.

"One piece?" Mae asked from the kitchen counter while making cuts in the cheesecake.

"Yes, microwaved for twelve seconds please."

* * *

_**Same day, August 13**__**th**__**, 1:00pm**_

"NYPD, OPEN UP" Jo yelled through the closed wooden door.

_Silence._

"It's the NYPD!" Jepson stated sternly and quietly, but loud enough for McGraw and Luke to hear. They quietly scrambled out of the main area to a little room in the back.

"NYPD, OPEN UP! McGraw, surrender yourself!" She yelled again with an even louder voice

Jepson skidded to his knees and rolled up the carpet on the floor by the small wooden desk. He pressed the security lock and the latch unlocked. He lifted up the trap door and signaled for them. _Escape exit, hurry!_

_One …_

McGraw and Luke quickly got themselves in into the underground of the escape exit and were about to proceed further into it until they realized the evident unrolled carpet. McGraw panicked and sternly stated, "The carpet! They're going to see the carpet unrolled!"

_Two… _

"Go! I've got it!" He whispered back at them, half rolling the carpet back to its original place. _Get out of here!_

"Jepson, what about you!" McGraw protested.

"John, the train loads here in two hours and it stops within walking distance of _Edna_. Take this; you'll be safe there. I'll get to you as soon as I can. I love you, brother." He handed him a silver key and without waiting for a response, he shut the escape door shut, rolling the carpet over it. He stood up and ran to the back door, putting on a show that he was the one that was going to make a pursuit. He opened the door and he saw that officers had their guns pointing at the door, about to barge in at any second.

_Three!_

The doors were knocked down with several kicks from the officers and as if on cue, Jo and four uniforms entered the room. She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Turn around and put your hands where I can see them!" She had her gun aimed at him with her eyes fixed on his surprisingly proper appearance. _That is not McGraw…_

Without protest he put his hands in the air and turned around with a smirk swiped across his face. She lowered her gun knowing that the other officers had their guns already aimed at him. She proceeded to him and grabbed his hands to forcefully place them behind him. She grabbed her handcuffs from her back pocket and quickly cuffed him. She cringed at the awful smell of cigarettes that lingered on his clothing. _I hate cigarettes_. With her hands firmly gripped on his hands she asked quietly into his ear, "Where. The. Hell. Is. McGraw?!"

He continued to smirk and turned his head a little to say, "At a place where you'll never be able to find him, bitch."

A punch of nausea swirled in her stomach but she manage to kick him in the back of his legs and he fell to the floor, landing hard on his knees. She made her way around Jepson and stood right in front of him. She bent over a bit and grabbed both sides of his face with one hand, giving his cheeks a tight squeeze. She looked at him intensely with eyes that could burn a hole in his face. He stared back her with equal intense force and spat on her face.

She closed her eyes and wiped his dirty filth off her face. She stared him down as she tightened her grip around his face until his lips were squashed together. She said in a low, angry voice, "Because of McGraw's pathetic lies, his dirty ass, and his sickening pleasure of young girls, I have to face the possibility of seeing my fiancé… dead."

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**OKAY I'm done for now LOL! Yes I know that the crime scene seems rushed and a little shaky but that's because this story is mostly on romance and I'm really trying to push the time line along. I also apologize if you didn't enjoy the action scene b/c I'm not that great at detective-y & crime-y stuff!**_

_**The next chapter we're getting back to Jo and we're going to find out where the hell McGraw and Luke went! **__**Please come back! **__**I PROMISE that it will be up in three/four days – depending on when my internet will be back up again, I absolutely pinky swear! OUUU, I don't mean to by pushy but I do warn you that if you skim through some parts of the story, you might miss an important symbol and be like "WTF?" when you read further on (hint hint – the Mac segment. Lol!). **_

_**Thanks for all the reviews and PM's! You guys are fantabulous! **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: It's another long chapter so I hope you don't mind! If you don't like long chapters, please let me know and I'll shorten them because I do realize that my chapters have surpassed 4K+ words each. **_

_**I'm so sorry about the crime scenes & I don't write the team processing stuff because I'm SO bad at them and I even get **__**myself**__** confused LOL! I focus on the **__**thinking**__** behind the criminals and there's a lot of connections between the protagonist & the antagonist… I really apologize for being so bad at detective-y stuff! **_

_**I know I sound like a broken record but, thanks for all your fabulous reviews, PM's and words of encouragement! It means so much to me!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI:NY!**_

* * *

**_In the previous chapter:_**

_She closed her eyes and wiped his dirty filth off her face. She stared him down as she tightened her grip around his face until his lips were squashed together. She said in a low, angry voice, "Because of McGraw's pathetic lies, his dirty ass, and his sickening pleasure of young girls, I have to face the possibility of seeing my fiancé… dead." _

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

_**Same day, August 13**__**th**__**, 1:00pm. **_

"Go go go!" McGraw hollered while holding onto a flashlight in the dark under the muddy earth. They ran through the underground tunnel that Jepson built a while ago for situations like this. Panting, they continued to run as fast as their feet could take them. They finally ran to a dead end, it was their signal to look up and listen with flawless attention.

Luke arched his head towards the panel that was above him and listened cautiously. "There's no train." Luke whispered, panting out of breath.

Luke looked up and pulled the latch. The escape exit lead to this hidden door built by Jepson who was the most intelligent man in the whole clan. From the tunnel, the latch was a door, but from the outside, it was concealed as a simple panel of the train track. _Uncle Jep, you smart sonuvabitch_. Luke pulled the latch harder until it finally budged and light from the outside came pouring into the dark tunnel. He popped his head outside and looked around to make sure it was clear.

They ran to the bushes and camouflaged in the earthy greens at the edge of the train tracks. McGraw looked at his watch and it reading, _1:15pm. An hour and forty-five more minutes. _

Luke listened to his father who was panting out of breath and faintly nodded at him. Jepson's words repeated in his head_, the train loads here in two hours and it stops within walking distance of Edna_. He steadied himself and asked, "Pa, what's Edna?"

"Edna…" McGraw looked at his soon and a shadow of a smirk appeared on his unshaven face. He paused for a moment and looked away into the open road. He spoke again, "You'll see soon."

A moment of silence stretched between them as they continued to wait for the train to come. Luke thought about his life and how everything turned out. The more he thought about it, the angrier his internal frustrations grew. He set his emotions aside and asked sincerely, "Where do you think Uncle Jep will go?"

"That bitch will probably hand him over to the Massachusetts PD and put him in Wyldewood."

"Wyldewood? Jenna escaped from Connecticut, got caught and put into Wyldewood… THAT Wyldewood?" Luke asked hopefully as his eyebrows cocked up. _Jenna escaped to New York and changed her name to __**her**__ but was caught and put into Wyldewood… oh my god, now we're going to New York. Maybe… just maybe I can see Jenna again_.

"Yup, that's the one." McGraw replied softly. _Don't do anything stupid…  
_

"Do you think that Uncle Jep would be able to help her escape?" Luke asked with eyes full of faith.

"Jesus Christ, son." McGraw muttered in disbelief.

"I want to find my daughter, your grand daughter!"

"It's been thirteen years, get over it!" McGraw said in a rather loud voice but later hushed himself to lessen his chance of being noticed.

He was alerted by the train that came flying through the metal tracks and was halted to a squeaky stop. They saw the stopped train and eyed the carts; carefully looking at them. Their eyes were locked on a cart that they knew was going to be transported to New York to be unloaded and will remain unopened while it was stopped in Cape Cod.

"See that one? Faded green? I never see them unloading that one here…" McGraw insisted as he carefully pointed at the green cart to the left of them.

"Yeah, okay… let's wait for a couple of minutes until it's clear and we'll make a run for it or else they'd see us."

Luke studied the area for a good three minutes and once he was certain that it was clear, he gripped his father's lower arm and whispered, "Pa, let's go."

* * *

_**September 20**__**th**__**, 9:30pm**_

Those two weeks rolled into _another_ five weeks of dead ends. In those treacherous seven weeks, they sent out notices, put up posters and headlined the news and newspapers in attempt not to only find Mac, but McGraw. There were phone calls that excited the team for a day or so when a witness claimed that they saw someone that looked like Mac and sometimes they got calls they saw Mac. When the team went to retrieve identifications, they were wildly disappointed when it wasn't either of them, just simply a claim that was never proved true. But McGraw hid well, and the team was sure of that part.

The girls from McGraw's nests stayed in rehabilitation with the SVU department and they went through sessions of group therapy. Don visited Christina frequently and he showed much care for her. He felt a strong connection with her, a connection that similarly reflected those of a father and daughter.

Some of the younger girls were fortunately adopted and some were thrown in and out of foster families; going through a chain of temporary houses that they never called a home. Many of them feared going back to their homeland, as they were frightened at the thought of being kidnapped and cycling through their horrible memories once again.

She stood by a wall in her kitchen that had a calendar nailed into it. She had one hand on her hip and the other in a fist, tucked under her chin. She scanned through the dates and recalculated them over and over again. _This can't be happening right now_.

She heard a knock on the door and she heard a voice shout out, "Jo! It's Flack; let's cook up something! It will make you feel better." _Oh good Lord, impeccable timing. _She scanned the room to ensure that everything was cleaned and well placed. Her eyes widened when she came to realization that she had misplaced a package she bought earlier today. _Dear Lord, where the hell is it!? _She scrambled around the kitchen as her eyes worked fast in attempt to find it.

She heard him shout out again, "Jo, open up!"

"Um… coming!" She shouted back, still trying to find where she placed that box, scanning the room one last time.

She decided to give up but prayed that the box was somewhere well hidden where Don wouldn't be able to see it. She jogged quickly to the door, unchained it, and twisted the lock to let him in.

"Hey! What took you so long?" Don asked while he struggled to carry the grocery bags filled with food.

"I was at…. Um.. the bathroom." She smiled. _Why am I so bad at lying?_

"Right. Anyways, I hope you like Thai food and Asian tossed salad!" He said enthusiastically while he took all the fresh food and placed them on the counter.

The mention of Thai food, something she loved, made her feel nauseous. "Yeah I love it! You're cooking?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm a great chef! Where's Ellie?" He asked as his eyes wandered around the room.

"She's at the movies, she'll be back at 11 or so. You gonna get cookin'?"

"Can I use your bathroom first? Gotta do my man business." Don chuckled as he took out the last item in the grocery bag.

"Yeah, it's just down the hall to yer' left." She pointed.

He proceeded to the end of the hall and entered the bathroom as he flicked on the light switch on his left. He had been here before but this time the bathroom wasn't tidy and it was evident that Jo's messy side took over. He was doing his business when he noticed that the laundry basket was full of dirty clothes, the storage cabinet above the toilet was left opened – revealing some female sanitary necessities. Once he had finished, he went to the sink and saw that the there were toothbrushes and toothpaste scattered on the sink.

. . .

She peered over the wall to make he disappeared into her bathroom. Once she was sure, she turned around looking for it; pulling out every drawer in her kitchen, looking under piles of paper, and opening cupboards. _Where the hell is it?_

_. . . . _

However, in all of the mess, he noticed that a man's razor and shaving crème was kept neatly in place. A sharp sorrow shot through him as he sighed. He knew that her office was a mess but her home was spotless. He noticed that the medicine cabinet was left opened and he noticed something he shouldn't. He picked up a little circular package with pink little pills arranged radically. He saw that the first two pills were popped out along with the seventeenth and twentieth. _Jo, you missed practically every single day. Are you? No you can't be… _

. . . .

Then she saw it, right beside the salt and peppershakers, trapped in the corner of the fridge and the backsplash on her kitchen counter. She lunged for it as she heard Don coming out of the bathroom and walking down the hall. _Where the hell am I going to put this_?

The thoughts ran through her brain_. Not the drawers, he'll go through that… certainly not the fridge either!_ She impulsively shoved the box in the back of her pants, and pulled her shirt over it.

"Hey, anything wrong? You look stunned!" Don asked as he giggled.

"Oh nothing… I was just surprised that you would so kindly drop by to keep me company." She replied. _Complete lie._

"Well, I needed to a break too from everything that happened and silence from the four walls I call a home doesn't really help." Don said in a low, soft voice.

She let out a little smile and looked down to the floor.

"So, what did you shove in the back of your pants?" Don asked as his detective instincts kicked through. He grabbed the glass bowl beside Jo and brought it near the stove.

"How did you.." Jo stammered as she felt her legs turn into goop. _He's good, real good…_

"Because you gave one final tuck before I asked you what was wrong and, I'm a great detective. Pass me those chicken breasts, will you?" He asked, while he chopped the ginger and placed it in the same bowl as the olive oil and sesame seeds. He looked at Jo through the corner of his eye, "So, you going to tell me or do I have to pull it out of your pants?"

"It's late…" Jo said in a low toned voice, her eyes fixated on her ceramic tiled floor.

"What's late? Its 9:30pm, Jo!" Don asked with a chuckle.

"As in… It's never late." _Please don't make me explain, please don't make me explain._

"Yeah, I know…. 9:30 is never late. What? Do you want milk and cookies AND you want me to sing you a lullaby already?" Don chuckled as he continued to blend the ingredients to the salad dressing in the bowl. He stopped and his eyes shot wide open. _Oh… I know what you mean now. _

Jo glared at him and she bit her lip. Jo looked at him and then looked at the floor. She slowly reached to the back of her pants and pulled out the box that she unwisely hid there. She placed it beside the glass bowl that contained partially mixed Asian sesame salad dressing.

He watched her every move and her eyes widened as his mouth dropped. _A pregnancy test…._

"I figured…"

"What? How did you know?"

"When I went to the bathroom, the medicine cabinet was left opened. I saw that you took three pills and basically missed the whole month."

"Yeah, I guess with everything I just forgot."

"Are you? Did you… you know… pee on it yet?" Don stuttered, attempting to phrase his intentions properly. He pointed at the pink box that was on the counter as his eyebrows furrowed in a bunch.

Her head hung low as she shook it softly.

"Do you want to? I'll go with you… No, I meant I'll wait for you out here. No, yes.. no, you do that by yourself, right?" Embarrassed of his foolishness, he looked away.

"Wait out here." She simply said while she grabbed the box on the counter and headed for the bathroom.

In mere minutes, she came out of the bathroom, holding a little white stick in her hand. It was one of the newer ones where she didn't have to fiddle with the lines, it simply said 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant'. She ripped off a piece from the paper towel roll and carefully placed the test on it. She set the timer for three minutes and heard the ticking of the timer fill the air.

She folded her arms across her chest leaned against the counter beside the test and Don did the same. Don looked at her from the corner of his eye and he could tell that she was clearly upset. _What happens if she's pregnant? Should I be happy? Mac's not here… this is my fault._

In what seemed liked years, three minutes passed and the timer rang. She looked up at Don and looked beside her where the test was resting. She let out a long sigh and picked it up with shaking hands. _Pregnant, it says I'm pregnant. Why?_

Don saw the stick shaking in her hands and was annoyed that he couldn't see what it read. He reached out and took her hands in his to steady them as he slowly took the test out of her hands. He held it up in the light and saw what it read. _Pregnant, oh my God. _

"How far along do you think you are?" He mumbled while he was still staring at the stick.

"Seven weeks, that was the last time me and Mac…" She said as she bit her lower lip, fearing that a tear would course down her cheek. A stretch a silence tore between them as she paused her speak. Looking up at him she quietly said, "I don't think I want to keep it..." as she placed the stick back on the counter. _But … _

"What? Jo, why!" He asked in shock.

"Don, I'm 44 years old. Diapers and milk bottles should not be coming into my life at this age. I'm not going to be able to do this without Mac. I cannot put two kids through college, raise a baby and run the lab on my own." Jo mumbled through the first tear that ran down her face.

"Josephine Danville look at me." He said sternly.

"You're going to bring this child into your life. God forbid if Mac never returns, you can look this baby in the eyes and you'll see him." Don mumbled through the intense stare that he gave her.

There was a long stretch of silence between them until Don spoke once again, "Jo, he will come home. We will make sure that this child gets to see his or her father, you understand me?" _How can I be saying this? This was entirely my fault in the first place._

"Don, I just want him to be home to hold his baby, to hold me… I miss him so much." Jo trembled though her tears. He was going to say something but his thoughts were interrupted by her sudden movement.

She pulled out the silver chain that hung around her neck and studied the wedding band that hung there. She spoke softly, "I couldn't have it on my hand anymore but I wanted it close to my heart. It's too hard to look at it everyday, it just reminds me of our dreams."

Don saw the crystal rivers flow freely from his friend's eyes and he couldn't help but let out a tear himself. He opened up his arms and pulled Jo close to him, letting her cry into her shoulder. He felt the fabric of he shirt soak.

"We were going to plan it when he came home. The Eve of Christmas, Don. Every year it would've been my birthday, Christmas and what would've been our anniversary." She continued to sob.

She finally came up for air as she looked up at him, she stared at him intensely and asked, "You know, they say every problem has a solution, well where's the answer to my problem? This baby isn't going to have a father growing up if... if we never find him." She started to tremble again.

He cupped her face in his hands. He looked at her and said, "Jo, we're going to find him and until he returns home, I'll help you take care of this baby."

She looked at him in confusion and she simply asked, "how?"

"I'll help pay for food, milk, clothing and I'll help you take care of her. In no way, shape or form am I trying to pull something on you because I know your heart belongs to Mac. I have no intentions of doing so cos' I'm not over Jess yet and I'm not sure if I ever will be. Taking care of a child will help me heal, in a way, I'm also helping myself."

"Don, you can't do that… it's not your responsibility."

"No, it is… what happened to Mac was my fault."

"No it wasn't, you couldn't control what happened."

"You know, if I went after him just a little faster, I could've saved him." He paused as she looked at him with eyes that were filled with no energy, no spark, not light as if they were soulless.

He continued to speak again, "I probably won't be taking care of this baby all by myself you know? Lindsay and Danny will probably come over every day, and Adam…. You know Adam loves little babies. Sheldon and Camille will probably come less cos' they have hot, steamy sex everyday…. And Sid! Sid will treat it like his grandkid! And I think Christina would like a little sister figure in her life."

Confused about what he said, she quickly questioned, "What do you mean?"

"I haven't told her yet, but I want to adopt her. I've grown this instinct where I constantly want to protect her. She's so young and she has seen a child's worst nightmare come to life; watching her mother being murdered in front of her. I don't want her to get juggled in some broken system so I want to take her in."

"That is a very noble thing to do, Flack." She responded softly with a light nod and a smile.

"And I feel like it's the right thing to do."

* * *

_**September 14**__**th**__**, midnight.**_

As the clock stroke midnight, she heard the grandfather clock in her living room ring its nightly chorus. With each chime through the air, her heart beat faster. She had all these emotions bottled up inside of her, threatening to explode if she didn't do anything about it. She breathed in and out, looking at the ceiling and shivered a little when she felt the cool autumn air brushed against her skin. She put a hand on her stomach, knowing that it was the one of the reasons for her to continue living.

She knew what she wanted to do and she was going to do it. She got up and kicked her feet on to the other side of the bed. She walked over to her closet and gently opened it, being careful not to wake Ellie up. She grabbed her U of Alabama hoodie that hung there loosely and threw it on her body. She crept out of her room and gingerly made her way to Ellie's. She peered inside and saw she was peacefully sleeping. She let out a long sigh and continued to look at her daughter, realizing that her children were the only promise that held true. _How am I going to tell her about this baby? _She bit her bottom lip and looked at Ellie's window that was covered in steel bars and she remembered why she installed them there. _Dana…_

She walked quietly into the kitchen and grabbed an empty bottle of wine that was thrown into the glass-recycling bin. She looked at the empty bottle of red and realized that it was his favorite. She shook her head and carefully placed it on the island counter. She opened one of her kitchen drawers and took out a piece of stationary paper along with a black ink pen.

She pulled out one of the barstools and situated herself on it. With a pent breath, she wrote. She paused at the end of every paragraph in order to gather her thoughts and calm herself. It wasn't until 2:00am that she was finally done writing; making sure that she wanted to write how she felt. When she was finished, she tightly rolled up the piece of paper.

She grabbed the wine bottle and was about to place the rolled up paper into it. Right before doing so, she realized that her rolled up message would unroll itself and the message would never be able to come out with ease. She opened another drawer that housed elastic bands, paper clips and all of those sorts but she knew that it had some of those ribbons that she always took back with every visit. She carefully took out a red satin ribbon that had a "_D_" sewn into it and with ever sash; there was always a little crystal that hung on the end. She held it up in front of her and smiled at it. _Aunt Mae, you always put in so much time into little things like this. _

She carefully wrapped the ribbon around the rolled up piece of paper and she tied the ends together in a neat little bow. Satisfied, she finally tucked the paper into the bottle and it fit in perfectly. She took the cork and jammed it in the opening, ensuring that nothing could get into it. She grabbed her cell that was resting on the counter and slipped them into the enormous pockets of her hoodie She walked over to the door and grabbed her keys that were hanging on the wall. She stepped out of her apartment, gently closing the door behind her. She gripped onto the bottle tightly as she made her way to the parking garage and into her car. She turned her keys and heard the engine roar. She peered over to her right and saw that the digital clock read 3:32. She knew where she was going take two hours or so with traffic and she would make it there before sunrise.

She drove in the never sleeping traffic of New York, as there were constant sounds of beeping horns and flaring sirens. She approached the open land and she parked on the grass. She grabbed the bottle that was resting on the passenger seat and stepped out of the vehicle. She took off her shoes and let her toes sink into the cool sand. Tucking the bottle under her arms, she bent over to roll up her pajama pants half way up her calves. Once she was comfortable, she proceeded to walk on the beach, approaching the whispering of the water. She walked passed plastic water bottles, chip bags, cigarette buds and a sign that read, _Coney Island Beach_. She stopped by the waterside as the wetness briskly skimmed her painted toes.

She folded her arms and hugged the bottle closely to her chest as the cool breeze brushed against her skin, making her tresses skim across her face. She peered over the water, waiting patiently for the sun to show itself. She looked at her watch, _6:00… it's usually up by now_. In a few minutes, the earth's lantern peaked over the water's edge and it greeted her with a warm embrace as its yellow hue splashed into the night sky. She squinted her eyes a little as the sun became brighter and brighter. _I wish you could see this._

She took the bottle's neck and gripped it firmly with her hand. She threw her arm back behind her and whipped the bottle into the water, watching it sail away; bobbing up and down. _If miracles happen, you'll be able to read this_.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**I loved writing this chapter! The part where Jo hid the test was inspired by an episode of Sela Ward's TV Series, "Once and Again" where Lily Manning did the same thing, shove the test in the back of her pants. I absolutely loved that show! **_

_**You're all probably wondering; Who is Jenna? Why did Jo think of Dana, who is she? Who is Luke's daughter? Who/what the heck is Edna? You tell me! Who/What do you think they are? And mostly; What did Jo write? Tell me your predictions in your reviews below!**_

_**Once again, thanks for all your support! xo !**_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **_**This very short chapter is an arc for the next two chapters. The 7**__**th**__** chapter will be posted in two days, so I don't bore you with this chapter. This is kind of like a "filler" chapter so the next one is the "OMG" one ;). **_

_**Again, thanks for all your support and to those who reviewed! I PM everyone who reviews but I apologize to those guest reviews that I can't personally give you a "thank you"**_

In the previous chapter:

_She folded her arms and hugged the bottle closely to her chest as the cool breeze brushed against her skin, making her tresses skim across her face. She peered over the water, waiting patiently for the sun to show itself. When the earth's lantern peaked over the water's edge, it greeted her with a warm embrace as its yellow hue splashed into the night sky. She squinted her eyes a little as the sun became brighter and brighter. I wish you could see this. _

_She took the bottle's neck and gripped it firmly with her hand. She threw her arm back behind her and whipped the bottle into the water, watching it sail away; bobbing up and down. If miracles happen, you'll be able to read this._

* * *

**Chapter 6:**

_**Same day, September 20**__**th**__**, 6:00am**_

It's a total of seven weeks since he had moved in with them and he felt like he should slip into some comfort zone now but he was still in a state of disgrace. That night he projected a strange dream, a dream that he had seen almost every night for the time he had slept on this foreign bed.

He always saw a woman, he was sure of it. This was the only image in his entire dream that was someone clearer and lest hazy compared to the rest. This woman had flaming red hair and she was always in a royal blue dress. It was as if this woman narrated his dreams and her voice was beautifully crystal clear. Her figured always faded in and out of segments of his dream but her voice remained constant. _Baby, do you know who I am?_

With his eyes closed he saw three hazy figures, chattering behind glass walls, looking at strange and complex computer systems. He tried to reach out to them but they didn't seem to see him. He couldn't make out who those figures were but he understood the general idea. _Honey, you know these people._

Then his mind wandered off to a place where there were constant beeping and ringing of phones. There were many people dressed in the same solid blue clothes with heavy accessories strapped onto the their waist. He saw a figure approaching him wearing the same attire but he couldn't make out who it was. _Sweetie, you hand picked him._

His dream always ended with the same figure; a figure with a slender frame that just stood there with a head tilted. It appeared that the figure was holding out arms as if it wanted to embrace him. He went closer to the figure but it resided further and further into the light with every step that he took towards it.

This was the only part of his dream where the woman with the red hair did not speak, as if she completely silenced. He assumed that this figure in front of him was a woman as he heard a sweet voice that called out, _255 miles away from home, away from home, tired, all alone. Come home, come home. Come with me, come. Don't you see? I love you, I love you. I love you, Ma… _Then woman would fade into the darkness, making him run after her with all his might.

He would awake when he himself got dragged into the darkness. He didn't wake it cold sweet nor he shake with fear, instead, he woke in confusion. He lay there, looked around in his room for a moment and wanted to drift back to sleep. He desperately wanted to continue this dream, to get a closer and more vivid glimpse of the figure and to hear what the woman had to say as her speech was always cut off but his sudden awake. _Why can't you finish what you have to say? Why can I never see who you are?_

He rubbed his eyes and grabbed the clock beside him, squinting to read the time. _Six o'clock, I'll go make breakfast for everyone_. He swung his legs over the bed and he walked over to the double doors that functioned as his window and opened it. He looked down at the porch he and Alex had been working on for the past few weeks. _Man, not nearly as far as I hoped for._

He breathed in the fresh smell of the beach as he yawned into the open air. He listened to the cawing of the seagulls and the swooshing of the waters. When the earth's lantern peaked over the water's edge, it greeted him with a warm embrace as its yellow hue splashed into the night sky. He squinted his eyes a little as the sun became brighter and brighter. He closed the doors and headed out of the room. _Beautiful…._

* * *

_**Same day, September 20**__**th**__**, 7:00am.**_

Five weeks ago when they located Edna once again, Luke was amazed at his family history and now he was truly homebound. Edna was located _**in**_ a mansion covered in aged ivy and budding moss in the backwoods of downtown Bronx.

An eight-foot oil canvas painting in the dining room concealed the entrance to Edna and could only be moved if the radio was on tune to station FM 88.4. Once the painting was moved, the doorway was camouflaged into the ivory coloured wall. Opening the concealed door, a flight of stone stairs lead you to the very top of the mansion – a level that no commoner knew existed. With only a pure silver key, which was now in the hands of McGraw, could open the tiny door that allowed you to enter _Edna_.

Jonathan McGraw sat in his old man's wooden desk and was counting the money that was stashed in the hidden safe. His old man would always meet here with his drug lord friends and every little stash used to be stored here in complete secrecy.

The federal police suspected him as a suspect of drug trafficking but had no evidence, as no they knew nothing about Edna, a place of secured privacy. On the outside, his old man was just a god damn rich salesman but inside his house, he was getting even richer by the second. He wondered why he decided to leave home and forced his brother to go with him. _Rebellion, pure rebellion._

A semi-circular window was the only source of natural light in this secret place. Pool tables, faded leather seats, antique lamps, and a dusty ceiling fan were all covered by a flurry of cobwebs and deteriorated by time. Luke sat on the ragged couch that was by the little semi-circle window and lit up a cigarette. He looked out at the autumn rain shower and then lost himself in deep thought. As the cloud of spoke lingered around him, he listened the sound of the rain on the pavement and he bounced his leg up and down. _It's been five weeks, when are you coming back to me?_

* * *

_**The next morning, September 21**__**st**__**, 2:00am.**_

"Hey buddy, can you find my goddamn glasses? I can't see without 'em!" Jepson hollered to the night shift correction officer who was approaching his cell. _Hurry up, fat ass._

"Stupid bastard." The guard muttered as he unlocked his cell. He studied the room a bit and saw his thick framed glasses were in the corner. He approached it with caution and bent over to pick them up.

Jepson took the stool by his cot and raised it in the air. With one clean sweep, he swung it across the guard's head. He smirked as he watched the guard collapse on his face with blood oozing out of his skull. _I can always spot a rookie night guard_. "Who's the bastard now?" He whispered in his ear. _Knock-out._

He poked at the correction officer and ensured that he was completely knocked out cold but not dead. He stripped the officer until in he was in her bare boxers and his wife beater shirt. Sliding off his orange jump suit, he quickly chucked them into the corner of the cell. _Won't be seeing these for a while_. He took the officer's attire and quickly dressed himself and in mere minutes, the public eye would have no idea he was to be wanted as a fugitive.

He walked quickly down the corridor where he knew she slept. He unclipped the bundle of keys that were strapped onto his waist and found the key that matched her cell number. He frantically separated the key from its cluster and inserted it into the opening.

Giving it a quick shake, the barred cage unlocked and in one brisk movement, he opened the door. He saw the female figure on the cot bed shoot straight up in shock. She didn't recognize who he was and only saw the night guard uniform in the dark. _What the hell?_

"Jenna, let's go." Jepson said quietly, ensuring that his quick movements wouldn't wake up any of the inmates. He grabbed her by the wrists and dragged her up from the bed. The glow from the moon that shone onto his face gave her a slight image of who he was. Her eyes shot wide opened when she recognized the familiar man. _Jepson McGraw._

"What? Where?" She asked confusingly but still trusted him enough to go anywhere with him.

"Bronx, New York." He said sternly, dragging her out of her cell and put her in handcuffs without locking them. He made her walk in front of him in her orange jumpsuit as his head hung low, making an effort to conceal his identity in the darkness.

Her breath hitched in her throat and suddenly she felt as if she was completely constricted for air. She looked around the the place for a bit, not quite sure what she was looking at. She scrunched her eyebrows for a second and her mind became an empty slate. _I have a chance._

He directed her with physical movements where to go and where to turn. When he reached the front of the institution, he noticed that there was a female security guard sitting at the desk with her back towards him. He cautiously approached her from behind, leaving no sound evidence of footsteps. He pushed Jenna behind him carefully, giving her a glance to be quiet.

He saw the paper spike on the desk and took the base of it in his hands. He raised his arm and forcefully jabbed the spike into the side of the woman's neck. Jenna immediately wrangled out of her unlocked handcuffs and placed both of her hands on the woman's mouth, muffling her cries. He removed the spike from her neck and raised it again, this time aiming for the woman's trachea.

His hands shook and his eyes widened, leaving his mouth opened slightly ajar as he dropped the spike to the floor. _I've… never killed before._

The woman collapsed on the chair in a split second when the paper contraption entered her airway. Bleeding from the neck, they quickly undressed the woman, leaving her in nothing but an undershirt and underwear on the chair. Jenna quickly slipped off her orange jumpsuit and briskly dressed herself in the woman's attire. The correction officer uniforms were particularly used in their favor as they escaped the front entrance with ease. _Tonight, we are free._

* * *

_**Same Day, September 21**__**st**__**, 8:00am.**_

She had been informed that _Dana_ Hill and Jepson McGraw had escaped from Wlydewood. Now she had four fugitives on her plate and with a missing piece of her heart, she didn't know how she was going to handle this. _Find these morons, find Mac, run the lab, keep this baby healthy, raise Ellie, pay for Tyler's college…. Yeah, my blood pressure is going to be just fine._ What killed her the most was the name Dana that rang through her head. She couldn't get her thoughts off of what happened that night. She heard her daughter eating her breakfast quietly and she couldn't help but play those "what if" scenarios in her head.

She was eating her toast quietly as she patiently waited for her scrambled eggs. Eying her mother, she noticed that she was staring lifelessly at the frying pan. She saw that there was no progress happening but her mother kept adding salt, and then added pepper, more salt and to her surprise, she realized that the stove wasn't even on.

The teenager sat there in awe and she dropped her piece of toast on her plate. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and timidly approached her mother from behind.

"Mom, are you okay?" Ellie asked quietly as she placed a gentle hand on her mother's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm okay, why?" Jo replied quickly and half startled by her daughter's sudden gesture. _Am I that obvious?_

"Well first of all, I don't think I want to eat those eggs… The stove isn't even on and you're stirring the goop with chopsticks…" She reached over to stop her mother's hand from stirring the concoction. Jo put the chopsticks down on the kitchen counter and took hold of it's edge in attempt to calm herself.

Ellie moved to stand beside her mother and looked carefully up at her. She softly asked, "Mom? What's going on?"

"I'll tell you later…" Jo responded with a sigh as she turned away from her daughter; using her back to block her out.

"Mom…"

"No honey, I'm not okay… but I will be. Go to school, you're gonna be late." _Jo Danville, you're such a liar._

"Mom…" Ellie sternly said this time, still unable to catch a glimpse of her mother's face. _And you wonder why I'm so stubborn. _

"Honey…." She simply said without turning around. She drew in a deep breath and tried to phrase her intentions properly. She looked up at the ceiling and there was complete silence between them. She decided what she was going to say and spoke in a whisper, "Remember Dana? She escaped… along with another inmate and there are two others that are on the run as we speak…"

When Ellie heard the name Dana ring through her ears, her heart started to pound in her chest as if it was playing percussions with her ribcage. Jo sensed her daughter's fright and said softly, "We're going to be alright." _How could can I even say this? A lunatic bitch is on the loose and I have the nerve to say we're going to be all right? _

She was still behind her mother and all she could see was the back of her head. She knew that there was something else that her mom wasn't telling her. She put a hand on her mother's back and quietly asked, "Mom, there's something else you're not telling me."

Her daughter was too damn smart and sometimes she wished that she wasn't. She let out a pent breath and closed her eyes slightly. She continued to grip the edge of the counter but this time, she held onto it as if it was the only thing that was tangible in her life. She spoke in barely a whisper, "You're going to be a big sister." _There, I said it. _She let go of the counter and folded her arms across her chest. _Why does this news sound so…. Melancholy._

Ellie's stance froze to the ceramic tiled floor and she was completely lost for words. _Am I supposed to jump for joy? Am I supposed to be sad that Dad's not here? Mom looks… lost_. She wrapped her long arms around her mother from behind and rested her head on Jo's back. She felt her mother's breathing become labored and heard her muffled sniffling_. I've seen mom cry… twice, both times were at funerals._

She closed her eyes slightly and said softly, "Mommy, I know this is going to be hard for you. But, I want you to know that Tyler and I are going to be with you. Your friends at work will be there for you too. Mom, you're not alone."

This did it for Jo she wasn't able to speak. Hearing her daughter's encouragement for her to stay strong made her tremble with tears. She only wished that he had said 'goodbye' before he left. _Goodbyes hurt the most when they leave without saying them._

One by one the tiny liquid crystals tumbled down her cheeks and she didn't have the strength to wipe any of them off. She hated crying and she vowed from this day forward, not a single tear would fall down her face again. She needed to be strong, for her son, for her daughter and for her unborn child.

Ellie felt a few drops of tears plop on her hands and couldn't help but hug her even tighter from behind. She lowered her one arm down and rested it on Jo's abdomen and said quietly, "Daddy's with you. Living and breathing inside of you. Never forget that."

* * *

_**A/N: The only part of this chapter that I'm semi proud of is the last part with Jo and Ellie, that's basically it- lol. Like WHO THE HELL can escape a prison like that? So unrealistic (LOL) but I needed it to bridge on to the next two chapters. I'm so sorry, I honestly truly, 100% hated this chapter and I don't blame you if you do too! **_

_**You will find out a bunch of stuff in the next chapter! Come back in TWO/THREE DAYS! Friends, I promise it will be waiting for you! **_

_**I'm working on two short stories ATM, so **_**_look out for those too! :)_**

_**Once again, you guys are way too awesome – your reviews, your PM's, just all these amazing compliments that you spoil me with - THANK YOU! **_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: This is possibly one of my favorite chapters and it was a blast to write. It will take you on a rollercoaster ride but after the first segment, the clock will fast-forward two months to get the story moving. I hope you will enjoy this one! **_

_****__**HEY! I'm really sorry if you thought the detailing in this chapter were unnecessary but idk, i really wanted to go into their BRAINS and just go through what the characters are thinking :).**_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own CSI NY, I'm just a very dedicated fan.**_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_**Same day, September 21**__**st**__**, 8:30am. **_

They saw the abandoned mansion that resided on a lonely street in downtown Bronx. He was shocked at how the building had aged in the last thirty years as he saw how it was now covered in ivy vines and greenish moss. He slowly rounded the back of the house and cautiously approached the back door.

There were three windows in the back of the house and he eyed the middle one. He knew how to get in from the middle window, as he would always enter the house from the kitchen where the maids used to cook and steal a couple of biscuits before dinner. _I miss this place._

He took hold of the handle and gave it a hard pull. It opened creakingly, and he peaked his head inside. It was how he remembered it, cookie jars to his left and dough rollers to his right. He climbed in through the window, shocked at how he could still fit through it. He took Jenna by the hand and pulled her in with him.

They made their way through the kitchen and went into their dining room where the painting was kept. He stood before the massive painting and stared it. _There's the four of us, Ma, Pa, John and I_. He suddenly remembered that he had to tune the radio. He ordered Jenna to wait there for him as he ran into the living room and turned the radio to FM 88.4. Once he had done so, the painting began to shift to the left and the door was revealed before them.

He opened the door and the flight of stone stairs appeared, making him grab Jenna's hand – leading her inside. They walked up three flights of stairs up the highest floor and saw the metal door. He remembered the knock, _four quick, two slow, three quick, one slow – repeat twice._

. . . .

"Pa! They're here!" Luke said as he shot up from the leather love seat. His heart started to pound at the thought of seeing her again.

McGraw got up from the television set that he was glued to and walked over to the entranceway. He looked through the peephole to ensure it was really them. _Jepson! _He quickly unlatched the door's lock and let them quickly scurry inside.

"Jenna!" He called out across the room as he ran towards the young woman and wrapped his strong arms around her. He buried his face in her ratty hair and gently whispered, "I've missed you." The same feelings reciprocated when she sunk deeper into his embrace and breathed in the scent of him. _My god, you smell awful but I still miss you._

"Our plans of ripping out Mac Taylor's throat has basically gone up in flames" Jepson snickered as he took a stance next to his brother in front of the small television screen.

"Hell yeah, that bastard decided to go missing. Who's keeping his seat warm?" McGraw questioned and took a step forward to adjust the bunny-ear antennas to receive a clearer image of the daily news. _Freaking TV._

"Detective Jo Danville, the same bitch that arrested me." Jepson inquired as he pointed to the television screen. Yet another notice has been sent out to inform the public about McKenna Taylor's missing person's case and alerted the citizens of New York to contact the NYPD and the crime lab's leading detective. Jepson shook his head in disgust when her face faded onto the screen. He remembered those eyes, how furious they were when he looked into them.

Jenna pulled away from Luke's embrace and eyed the television screen. She approached Jepson and McGraw with caution and folded her arms across her chest. That name rang through Jenna's head and her heart started to pound. _How come I never saw this?_

"Jo Danville, huh?" She asked, being carefully not to reveal her sudden quickened breathing.

Luke looked at her and let out a short sigh. He knew what was racing through her head and took ginger steps towards her.

"Baby, you're not going to do that again…" He murmured through the droned buzzing of the television set.

"Luke! Do you want to see _**our**_ daughter again?" She barked back at him.

"Ellie was legally adopted by her…" He stressed by putting his index finger to his thumb in a 'O' shaped manner.

"She put in my jail for a double homicide that I didn't commit!"

"You shot the couple in their sleep, they were your parents!" Luke attested while raising an angry hand in the air.

"I had to, they wouldn't let us be together…" She shouted angrily at him through moisture filled eyes.

"So, you decided to escape Connecticut Correctional and change your name to _Dana _Hill to go find her? That was insane!" He growled back with furrowed brows.

Jepson and McGraw did nothing besides taking a seat. They sat back and watched the scene unfold while lighting each other's cigarettes. _Stupid kids._

"I had no goddamn choice! That bitch wouldn't even bring Ellie to see me! I haven't seen my baby in thirteen years! She's fifteen years old and I wasn't there to braid her hair, to cheer her on, hold her when she cries over her first boyfriend, and…" She turned away from him and paused to catch her breath.

"When I look in the mirror all I see is her brown eyes looking back at me." She said angrily as she wiped her head around to look him directly in his eyes.

He saw the sincere grief and boiling anger that radiated in her eyes. He approached her and firmly gripped her shoulders. He gently spoke, "We couldn't take care of her…"

"You could've!" She hollered as she pushed his arms off of her and used her index finger to point sternly in his face. She turned around and paced back and forth in the room as the tears streamed down her face. She paused for a moment and spoke,

"I can go get her... The last time that bitch saw me as Jenna Grayson was thirteen years ago. Then when I went to go get Ellie that time she put me away as Dana Hill. Jenna escaped from Connecticut Correctional in 3 years ago, Dana Hill escaped Wyldewood _**today!**_ I can go get her back this time, as something like… Anna, you like the name Anna? I can dye my hair, I can dress differently, and I can wear color lenses! I can get her back, I promise! She will be happy here!"

Luke let out a pent breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You don't want her back do you? Screw you!" She said in a raised voice and threw her hands up in the air.

"Jenna…"

"Don't 'Jenna' me…" She said angrily through gritted teeth and trotted her way to the loveseat by the window. She plopped into it with her arms folded across her chest and she bit her bottom lip in fury. _Jenna, you can do it yourself. Just think of a way._

* * *

_**Four days later, September 25**__**th**__**, 3:00pm.**_

Even though she dreaded it, it was her day off and it was also today that Dr. Hansen's office had slipped in her for a quick checkup appointment. Sitting quietly in the waiting room, she stared at her hands. They were a simple set of hands but to her, they told a story. These were the set of hands that held Tyler when he was born, put Ellie's hair in a pony tail, held _him_ in her hands. These were the set of hands that brushed against his face and down his chest.

These were the set of hands that were scared when the shards of glass had cut her as she was lying on the floor of Amanda Tanner's house. The glass had cut _his_ palm when he placed his hand on the ground beside her in that apartment and he too, had a scar. She turned her hands over so she could see all the rings that were on her finger, six to be exact, all of different sizes and colours. She always wore many rings to distract herself from a wedding band that used to be on her forth finger from a decade ago. But the day after Mac had proposed to her, she wore no other besides the promise ring. Now, she caught herself staring at those same set of hands that wore many rings; hiding the fact that she no longer wears the white-gold band.

"Ms. Danville?" A young voice called out with a clipboard in her hand. Jo's thoughts were torn and she quickly shot up from her seat and replied with a "yes?"

"Hi, right this way with me."

Following the young nurse into a quiet little room with a doctor's bed and beeping monitors, she let out a long breath. The nurse placed the clipboard in a file holder that hung neatly on the wall by the door. She let out a smile and said softly, "Dr. Hansen will be with you in just a second."

Jo didn't reply, she just sat on that bed and had her hands folded in her lap. In less than thirty seconds she heard a gentle voice call, "Jo.."

She quickly turned around and recognized her old friend. "Hey Tiffany, how are you?" She began.

"I should be asking you that question..."

"I'm okay." She lied.

"That's..good. Well, why don't we start right away. You can lay down right here."

Obeying her orders, Jo laid down on the bed as Tiffany dimmed the lights and took a seat beside her. She closed her eyes slightly and took in a long draw of air. She slowly untucked her shirt from the hem of her jeans and pulled it up slightly. She didn't want to be here and she never imagined herself to be in this situation. She wanted to cry, she really did... but then she remembered the promise she made herself. _Never cry, Jo... it shows weakness._

Tiffany saw the notices on TV, read the newspapers... she knew what was happening but she decided to keep her mouth shut. She had to be extremely careful not to let anything slip or mention anything about Mac Taylor. Taking the saline gel, she said softly, "Jo, it's going to be a bit cold, okay?"

She didn't seem to care. She didn't even seem to know when the doctor rubbed the cool gel on her stomach. With her eyes closed, she was completely zoned out. Then, she was brought back to life when she heard the quick beating of a baby's heart beat. Strong. Present. Alive. And for the first time in weeks, her lips curved to a gentle shadow of a smile.

"You're about seven weeks along and the baby looks healthy. But…"

"But what?" Jo murmured abruptly as her head shot up from the bed and her smile turned into a painful frown.

"But since you're over forty, you must be careful not to stress yourself out so much. You are more prone to miscarry, a 54 percent chance actually. So your husband will have to look caref…" Tiffany stopped in mid speech and realized what had just come out of her mouth.

Her eyes widened at her patient and he mouth hung slightly ajar. She quickly turned away and her eyes dashed back to the monitor. She shook her head slightly and pushed her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose. Quietly, barely a whisper, she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't meant to.." _Shit! You're so goddamn forgetful!_

"No, it's okay. I've got a family of friends and they're going to look after me just fine." Jo said abruptly when she noticed the doctor's stumble. _Everyone is walking on eggshells around me._

"Continue.."

She looked back at Jo with sorrow filled eyes, mentally kicking herself at what she had just said but she managed to continue, "Well, there could be problems such as high BP, diabetes, and birth complications."

She saw the panic that burned in Jo's eyes and regret gripped onto her every word. "You're a very strong woman and you're physically fit, and active. I guess that comes with the job. But you should still be careful. Stay away from heavy sweets, switch out coffee for tea, things like that." Tiffany quickly reciprocated.

"When am I due?" She asked, getting straight to the point.

"May 23rd of next year. That's when you hit thirty-nine/forty weeks. It's much safer for you to schedule a Caesarean for the 16th, Jo. Would you like to do that?" The dates pierced through her like a knife to her heart. _The twenty-third of May, Mac's birthday…. The sixteenth of May, the day he proposed. _

"Yeah, I'm fine." She sat there, staring at the pea sized life on the screen of fuzzy black and white. _If you're human, you'd know that the biggest lie you could ever tell is, "I'm fine"_.

* * *

**_Same Day, September 25th, 4:30pm_**

Friday's, a day that has became so routinely for her and Mac in the afternoons – to stop by Henry, throw a casual hello and sit down for a quick snack. They would think they were the happiest couple in the whole café, always laughing, giggling, smiling- all while holding each other's hands. But today, she would go there solo. After her appointment, she didn't bother to drive over to Henry's as it was just across the street. She stepped into the café that was booming with people.

"Hi Henry, the usual please… for one. This time decaf." She greeted as she began to unravel her scarf.

"Comin' right up, sugar." The plump elderly man said in his distinct Mississippi accent.

She sat there with her hands folded together, gently resting them on the table. She listened attentively to the chatters of the mom & pop café. She used to be a part of this chatter but here she is sitting solo while the silence of their booth consumed her. She looked around, table to table, gazing at the women who had their heads resting on a man's chest, staring at the men who held their woman's hand in theirs. _Why does it__ just has to be this way?_

He walked up to her table and placed down her order, "Regular decaf coffee and a New York cheesecake drizzled with cherry sauce, a dash of cinnamon, microwaved for twelve seconds."

He caught her staring out the window as she failed to realize his presence beside her. He knew what was happening, he read the news and watched the TV. He put on his best smile in attempt to lighten up the mood. Clearing his throat he questioned, "How have you been keeping, Jo?"

Startled by an unacknowledged voice beside her she quickly turned her head to face him. Blinking a few times she began, "I'm fine... Henry. I'm fine." She said quietly as she took the coffee mug and held it with both of her hands. _There's that same old expression again, 'I'm fine'. The world's biggest lie._

* * *

_**Two Months Later, November 25**__**th**__**, 9:00pm**_

After work, Don drove up to rehabilitation center down on Mason Street to do his daily checkup on the young girl that had became a responsibility of his protective heart.

Every since Mac's disappearance, he felt the desperate need to protect everyone he ever came in contact with but with Christina, it was different. He felt the extreme need and the yearning to keep her safe. The need was so powerful that he was fearful whenever he would think of what she has been through and vowed to himself that he would never let that happen to her again.

He walked into the automatic sliding doors and the staff had no need to check him in as they knew what he was there for. He simply greeted all the staff members with curved lips and a gentle smile. He approached the room 2061 where she resided along with a few other girls around the same age.

The room was dim with lights as it was already late at night but she was still awake. Sitting on her bed with her knees jumbled up against her chest, the girl blankly stared out the window.

He approached the bed carefully and welcomed himself to a seat on the bed. He said quietly, barely a soft whisper, "Hey, just stopping by to ask how your day was."

She knew that it was Don and there was no need to feel alerted anymore. She turned her head slightly and looked at him through tired eyes. "I'm doing good." She said in a low, soft murmur and then she turned again to continue looking out the window.

He put a hand on her shoulder and he sensed that there was something she was holding back.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" He asked quietly. _What are you hiding from me?_

She didn't even turn back to look at him, she continued to stare out the window, watching the swing set and its swings swaying in the wind. _Just tell him Christina._

She let out a pent breath. "Yeah Don, I don't really like this place… I feel so… lonely. The only time I feel safe is when you come visit me." She told him honestly.

A moment of silence stretched between them and he knew that this was the right time to say what he had buried in his heart for such a long time. He tugged at her shoulder with a slightly firmer grip and she finally turned her head to lock her eyes with his. Taking a deep breath to build his courage he finally said, "Hey. I want to ask you something. You can say no if you want to…"

"Yeah.." She said quietly through a confused voice.

He bit his bottom lip a little, knowing that this could either be his best day ever or end up being misery at its best. Taking in another deep breath he asked, "How would you like to, you know, be my daughter?"

He let his lips curve up to a slight smile and she could see all his sincere honesty in his glistening eyes. _Come on, please say yes._

"What do you mean?" She asked with a furrowed brow as she shifted her position to look directly at him.

"Only if you agree, I would love to take you in... You know, adopt you…"

"Really? Cross your heart?" She asked as her mouth hung ajar.

"Cross my heart." He replied as he did an 'x' figure across the left side of his chest. _Yes!_

"Does that mean I can call you, 'dad'?" She wanted to know excitedly as she kneeled up on the bed with a wide smile planted on her face.

"If you want to…"

"I definitely want to! I never had been able to truly call someone 'dad' before! My real dad died before I was born. This is the best birthday present ever!" She said rather loudly but then hushed herself when she saw someone stir on the other side of the room. She threw her arms around his neck and a fresh tear rushed down her face.

He let out a slight chuckle and held the girl in a tight embrace and this subtle gesture felt so comforting. He felt like he found another piece to a puzzle that he called his 'life'. He let go of the blonde, now thirteen-year-old girl, and planted his hands on her shoulders.

"I could never replace your real dad, but I'm going to try my best. Wait, it's your birthday today?" He asked confusingly as his eyebrows jumbled in the middle. _Why didn't she tell me it was her birthday?_

"Yeah, I'm thirteen today." She admitted, feeling guilty for his guilt.

All he could do was smile at him. No amount of words can describe the happiness he felt inside of him right now and all he wanted to do was hug her again. So, he did. He gathered the girl into his arms and quietly whispered, "Happy birthday, angel."

She hugged his neck tightly and she felt entirely happy. This man who she was once so afraid of has now became her guardian angel. In these four months, she felt like her life has changed. She thought she was going to be an orphan forever. _Now, I have a dad._

"Dad…. That sounds so amazing to say."

* * *

_**The Next Day, November 26**__**th**__**, 8:30am**_

It was a cool autumn morning and just about every tree in Cape Cod had lost their shaky leaves as they fell to the ground. Every morning at 7:00, he would do the same thing - take a long jog along the beach. This was the time where he didn't have to hear the banging of hammers or the buzzing of a hacksaw while he worked on the couple's house. This was the time he had to talk to himself. He had been jogging for a good 90 minutes now and he stopped to catch his breath as the sun rose from the ocean.

He sat down on the sandy surface and spread his legs apart in front of him, panting for air. He brought up his hands and brushed him them together to rid of hand sand that stuck to him. Using his index finger to brush off any excess on his palm, he stopped slowly when he saw a small scar. _Where was this from?_

Brushing his thoughts aside, he got up and started to walk back the the house. He halted to a stop when he saw something glimmer in the sunlight. He was intrigued by its constantly glimmer and it vaguely blinded his eye. He jogged over to it and crouched down beside it. He picked it up and examined it.

It was a wine bottle but thought it shouldn't be on the beach. He decided to go throw it out but stopped dead in his tracks when he felt something shaking inside. _A rolled up piece of paper, a message…._

He tugged and pulled at the cork that sealed the bottle. He finally got it open and tilted the bottle at a downward angle and watched the piece of paper slip into his hands. He dropped the bottle in the and carefully unraveled by first untying the red satin ribbon that held parchment together._ Just like Mae's ribbon_.

He noticed that on top of the paper, right in the middle, was a large neon pink post-it note and he couldn't help but smile at its loudness against the dull-colored message. He swiftly removed the post-it note from the paper and held it in front of him. Examining it closely, he let a large smile curve his lips as he saw how simple the drawing was on the post-it.

With an effortless stroke of a sharpie pen, he saw a caricature of two people – one male, one female. They both had large heads with tiny little bodies, and their hands held each other's. They both had a badge clipped onto their waist and had huge smiles drawn their faces. The woman had hair above her shoulders and held a coffee cup in her right hand while an array of necklaces dangled from her neckline. _She looks so familiar._ With extreme carefulness, he looked closely at the caricature of the man. He had short hair, distinct jawbones, pointed eyebrows and a nose that identically mirrored his. _That looks a lot like me._

He shook the drawing out of his head continued to unravel the rest of the rolled message. _This person is quite an artist_. He squinted his eyes slightly and carefully started to read the neatly handwritten cursive.

_To the Love of My Life,_

_ I don't walk these halls; I don't stare at these walls every night. Even though I'm waiting for the phone, I don't want you to call, I don't miss you. I'm finally moving forward, I never dream of you and me. I'm really not that lonely, you never cross my mind and when I hear your name, it doesn't cut me like a knife. __**Lies, all goddamn lies.**_

_Every night I have been sleeping with the telephone, hoping you would call and tell me you'll be home soon. As I write this letter, the scent of your cologne lingers in our home and the moon shines through the cracks of our windows; reminding me of our first kiss. I cry because I'm all-alone, and the nights get so cold and long. I try not to think you won't come home. I lose you in my darkest dreams, my blood runs cold and my heart skips a beat. _

_ Please forgive me, I tried so hard to find you to the point where they think I'm close to crazy, but a part of me knows that you're still alive out there. I'm one step away from going insane, but I'm not there yet. Maybe if I could just lose my mind, I wouldn't know you're not here with me. I still reach for you in the middle of my dreams each night but my arms come up empty every time. Today I caught myself sitting in our booth at "Henry's", ordering a coffee for two and talking to an empty chair, laughing right out loud. _

_At work I drown in the papers, piecing the lives of others back together, bringing justice to their families, taking away their pain. But no one's here to take away the pain inside of me as I walk by your office every morning… expecting a smile and a greeting in return. I search through the crowds, looking for your face even though my quest for you is an impossible one. I'm just so tired, of the unknown distance in between us but, anything more than a heart beat away is just too far. I miss your voice, I miss your smile, I wish I could give you a kiss, and to feel your arms around me._

_Wherever you are, never forget __who__ you are. You're a patriotic Marine, a dedicated detective, a powerful speaker. You're a friend, a boss, a coworker, a son, a godfather, a husband. You're my best friend, my lover, my fiancé, and the love of my life. Everyone who sees you always wants to know you and those who already know you, always has a smile. You're the dream I've been chasing after years of waiting. Just a word from you just some how turns winter into spring, water into wine. Everyone calls you amazing, I just call you mine. _

_No matter where you are in the world, don't forget that the moon is never bigger than your thumb. And whenever you see those stars dancing around that ever-glowing lantern, remember I'm there with you – admiring the same glow, both of us under the same sky. Mac Taylor, are you homesick yet? If you are, come home. This city of lights, traffic and night sirens, long to embrace you again. There is a family of friends who waits for you along with a woman who stands under the moon, wishing that you would tell her everything will be okay._

_Don't give up because no matter how many minutes, hours, years that may go by, my heart knows nothing of time- I'll still be waiting for you. I promise you that someday we'll be together. I'll be waiting for you… forever, my love. **I hate how much I love you, but everyday I love you more.**_

_ Don't forget about me. I still reach__ for you in the middle of my dreams each night,_

_ Jo_

* * *

_**A/N:**__** As a young kid, I know nothing about romance & what "love" is, so I was largely inspired by these songs; credits to:**_

"_Close to Crazy", "Forever Love" by Reba McEntire & "Long Distance Lullaby", "Lies" by Martina McBride_

_. . . . . . _

_**WHAO, never imagined Dana and Jenna to be the SAME person, huh? Cheers to "LucyMagnus" who PM'ed me with her guess early on and she predicted that Dana/Jenna was Ellie's biological mum! You go girl! You're good! **_

_**OU, did you realize that Mac and Jo both had a scar on their hand from Amanda Tanner's apartment? :D**_

**_DANG IT! I re-watched "Identity Crisis" and Jo did mention Ellie's biological mother's name - "Geena Baker".. not "Jenna" damn, I heard wrong. Oh well, you know who I'm talking about anyway :D_**

_**THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT! YOU GUYS ARE TOO AWESOME! Leave me a review and tell me what you think!**_


End file.
